Manipulated
by Corisu Li
Summary: (COMPLETE!) A fine line normally separates the lands of the living and the dead. When it is ruptured during a fight, a demonic spirit takes up residence in Miroku's body... but what happens when it tires of sharing? Is there human blood on his hands?
1. The One Who Brings the Cold

Disclaimer: Where the author's name is, it says 'Corisu Li'. Not Takahashi Rumiko. Therefore, I believe that you can draw your own conclusions.

Corisu Li: This idea just popped into my head one day... And I liked it! Excuse to write angst! That part probably won't come in for a few chapters yet, but it will... in time...

Chapter 1: The One Who Brings the Cold

A grin and a flaming red handprint decorated the face of the houshi as he walked alongside a fuming taijiya. Her face was adorned as well, with a scowl and a flush. "Hentai..." she muttered, fixing her eyes on the ground and continuing her rant inside of her head.

Kagome spoke up from behind them. "Miroku-sama... don't you ever learn?"

Miroku blinked and glanced back at her. "Of course I learn, Kagome-sama. But it takes a practiced and skilled mind to know which lessons to disregard."

Inuyasha snorted. He was ahead of Miroku and Sango, leading the group as always. Shippou had been left at Kaede's, much to the hanyou's contentment. The kit's incessant questions and pestering remarks left him on edge... which made it likely that he would say or do something in retaliation... which always ended in getting 'sat'. Not fun.

Miroku linked his fingers behind his head and tilted his face upward, flooding it with sunlight. Days like this made it almost possible to forget about his curse...

As the fabric of the purple glove brushed his neck, he sighed imperceptively. 'Almost...'

The quest for the Shikon no Kakera was progressing quite well. Even though Naraku held a large amount, the group was positive that they had rounded up nearly all of the shards that he didn't possess. Sooner or later, they would have no other course of action than to confront him... that was, if he didn't confront them first.

Miroku dropped his hands, suddenly finding the feeling of the cloth unbearable and disgusting. As he walked, he became immersed in deep thought while staring at his gloved right hand.

Meanwhile, the redness had almost fully faded from Sango's face, leaving only a faint pinkish tint just under her eyes. She lifted her head, preparing to voice the remarks that had been flying through her head after the event of a few minutes ago. Her intended words died in her throat, however, when she saw Miroku's face.

'He's brooding over the kazaana again...' she thought, tearing her gaze away from the houshi, then glancing at him sporadically, hoping that Kagome didn't notice her furtive looks and that Inuyasha didn't turn around. 'This is the third time in two days. I wonder if it's paining him...' Her mouth opened, as if to ask him this very question, but Kagome's head popped up between the two of them before she could say a word.

"What are you two so sad about? It's a beautiful day!"

Miroku jerked in surprise, jarred from his thoughts, then let his hand fall back to his side, offering the girls a trademark grin. "It's nothing, Kagome-sama. Just the unimportant musings of a monk."

"Oh..." Kagome shrugged and sighed. "It's uneventful without Shippou-chan here. I haven't even had an opportunity to say 'you-know-what' today."

A 'feh' came from the red-clad hanyou. "Like you need an excuse to say it, wench. You just want a reason to go get the brat."

Sango and Miroku took a few steps to the side, away from the miko who had abruptly burst into flames. Kagome's eyebrow twitched a few times and she began to walk a little faster.

Inuyasha kept walking, unaware of the inferno that he'd sparked. He would have remained unaware if Kagome's accelerated stride hadn't driven her within arm's reach. She tapped him lightly on the shoulder. "Oh, Inuyasha?"

Her honey-sweet voice should have tipped him off. It would have tipped off the biggest of idiots... which leads to follow that Inuyasha wasn't the biggest of idiots, although he was pretty close.

"I told you, we're not going to get the stupid brat!"

Miroku and Sango flinched.

The next, highly predictable chain of events was as follows: "Osuwari! Shippou's not a brat! Osuwari! I am NOT a wench! Osuwari! You can't tell ME what I can and can't do! Osuwari! Osuwari! Osuwari!"

Sango and Miroku stood at the edge of the crater in which Inuyasha was buried. Kagome stood at the other side, breathing heavily while glaring down into the hole.

Miroku sighed and nudged a rock into the pit with a toe. "And they say _I_ never learn, Inuyasha."

Several loud curses (directed at the monk) exploded from the hole. Half concerned the statement, while the others concerned the rock that had plonked down right between the hanyou's ears.

Then, abruptly, there was silence. It was as if Inuyasha's voice box had been muted. The vein that was throbbing in Kagome's forehead vanished as she called down to him. "Inuyasha? Are you okay?"

More silence. Then, Inuyasha bounded upward, landing beside Kagome and shoving her behind him. "Something's coming," he muttered.

Sango found herself shivering slightly. A moment after Inuyasha had said those two words, she had felt it for herself, which was strange. Kagome was usually the one to sense demon auras. The air had become freezing cold, and the taijiya's breath formed clouds as she exhaled, thankful that she was wearing her relatively warm slayer uniform, as opposed to her kimono.

The hairs on the back of Miroku's neck were standing on end, and his eyes were wide, searching the surrounding area for any sign of danger.

Kagome shivered behind Inuyasha, mentally berating herself. 'Why, oh, why, oh, _why_ didn't I wear jeans?' She could feel goosebumps rising on her exposed legs, and gave another shudder. 

Inuyasha's eyes were fixed on one particular area of forest. He could smell what the others couldn't, which was why he was the only one who knew the direction of the threat. "Over there," he said, pointing, then blinked a few times. His voice sounded dull, as if the words had clunked to the ground after leaving his lips. His companions looked apprehensive as well, but they followed his gaze.

The tops of the distant trees seemed to _dim_, as did the sky above. The vibrant green faded into a nondescript shade of gray as the group watched. When one tree's color was paled, the process moved on to another... and each successive tree brought the wave of grayness closer and closer to the assembled.

"What's going on?" Miroku asked, his voice taking on the same flatness as Inuyasha's had. "Is there some sort of youkai that can do something like that?"

Sango shook her head, hugging herself in an effort to warm her body. "I don't think so. This is different... A different feeling. It's like..."

"It's like pure evil," Kagome supplied, sinking to her knees and shutting her eyes tightly. Inuyasha looked over his left shoulder to see how she was doing and was immediately alarmed.

Her lips had taken on a bluish hue and her cheeks and nose were bright red. Her closed eyes only seemed to add to the feeling of frailty that Inuyasha sensed from her.

"Kagome-sama? Are you all right?" Miroku inquired, taking a few steps toward her shivering form.

Kagome exhaled in a burst of white mist. "C-cold..." she muttered.

Inuyasha half-heartedly muttered something about 'weak ningen wenches', but his heart wasn't in insulting her. He was too worried to put effort into it. He quickly removed his haori and draped it over her shoulders, then turned back to the approaching grayness.

Kagome hugged the cloth tighter to her body, but didn't open her eyes. The mixture of cold and the feeling of the approaching entity combined to nearly paralyze her.

Sango raised a hand and took hold of Hiraikotsu's strap. The trees in front of them were beginning to gray...

Then it emerged.

Upon first glance, it appeared to be a wizened human male, but upon closer inspection, differences emerged. The face of the figure was gaunt and bony, and where the eyes should have been, there were only staring hollows of blackness. The skin was of a pale charcoal; one wizened hand protruded from the sleeves of its black robes, gnarled and tapering off to claws that seemed to be longer than the hand itself. Lank white hair framed the thing's terrifying face.

Sango's eyes widened and she let her hand fall, clapping both hands to her ears and stepping backward. Lacking eyes in the back of her head, she tripped over a stone and crashed to the ground, but she kept creeping backward as if she didn't notice, desperate to put distance between herself and the... thing...

Kagome uttered a short cry and buried herself deeper into the warmth of Inuyasha's haori. 

This left the two males to stare at the figure, wondering what magic it was working to affect the girls - and the environment - in such a manner.

It took another step forward, then rasped, "Shikon..." The sound was like the grating of old bones.

Inuyasha was disgusted at himself for even considering being afraid of such a frail thing. "W-well, you're not going to get it!" The words lost their biting quality on the dead air, but he disregarded that for the moment, drawing Tetsusaiga from its sheath and being newly disgusted at the tremor that had been in his voice.

Miroku readied himself as well, holding his staff ready. He cast a look back at Sango, whose back was pressed into a tree trunk, her eyes wide and her breathing erratic.

With a yell, the hanyou threw himself forward - and effortlessly severed the thing's arm. Leaping away, he gave a chuckle. 'No threat there! Just some old-' 

"AAAH!!" Inuyasha dropped his sword and stared at his hands. They were raw and red, as if they had been burned. Tetsusaiga had grown cold after it had made contact with the being... so cold, in fact, that it became impossible to hold it.

"Miroku, don't touch that thing! Not even with your staff! It'll just freeze you!"

"I wasn't planning on touching it, Inuyasha!" Miroku called back. He then muttered to himself, "If brute force won't work on this thing, we'll have to try something else...' He let his hand stray to the interior of his robes and withdrew three ofudas.

Inuyasha ran to Kagome, not noticing what Miroku was doing at the moment. She was still huddled, shivering. "Kagome, get up! We can't fight that thing... we have to defeat it with miko power! Come on!"

Kagome's eyes fixed on his face, but she didn't speak, even when he set her on her feet by picking her up under her arms. He pulled her bow from her back and fitted it with an arrow, placing the bow between her slack arms.

Meanwhile, Miroku dashed forward, holding the ofudas aloft. When he had nearly reached the creature (or could no longer stand the coldness of its aura) he let fly.

One connected with the being's forehead, and that was all that he needed. The thing hissed, "Shiii..." before becoming utterly still.

Inuyasha cheered Miroku in his mind as he moved Kagome's arms to the bow. "Come on... take it..." Her eyes lifted once more, and when she blinked, they cleared considerably. Her shaking, pale arms grasped the bow and arrow tightly as she took aim. Inuyasha stayed near. The last thing that he needed was for her to fall.

She released the arrow, then slumped forward, her ashen face obscured by her dark hair. Inuyasha caught her easily, then looked up. Miroku was too close!

"Miroku!" he called, but his voice fell short. The arrow, blazing with miko energy, blew past the monk and struck the being between its eyes - and directly through the middle of Miroku's ofuda.

Instead of the explosion that all had anticipated, for a long while, it appeared that nothing had happened. Then, a rip seemed to appear in the very air behind the creature, and its body vanished into it.

Miroku's eyes widened as the whooshing air from the rip whipped about his body, ruffling his robes and hair.

A darkness descended upon the entire area.

And from somewhere within the darkness, a monk screamed.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Please Review!


	2. The Black Phoenix

Disclaimer: *blows raspberry*

Corisu Li: Thanks to the (very few) reviewers! If you really like me, you'd spread the word! *puppy dog eyes* Heh. Just kidding. As long as Aamalie-chan's reading... *waves* I'll continue with the chappies. I guess. Yeesh.. I really don't want this to go the way of 'Protect Me'...

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Chapter 2: The Black Phoenix

Sango groaned as her eyes popped open. She was propped up against a tree, from the feeling of the bark against her back. Her mind hadn't yet reached the waking world, so she was momentarily confused. Then, as her muddled thoughts began to align, she remembered that ... _it_... had come.

It had terrified her, paralyzed her. She had been positive that it was only a myth... She should have known better than to believe that. After all, she regularly traveled with a girl from 500 years in the future...

Inuyasha awoke lying face-down in the grass. "What the hell happened?" he growled, pushing himself to his feet. "Last thing I remember was fighting that..." he trailed off, looking around him. The sky was bright once more, and the trees were their original color. There was no sign of the being that had seemingly sucked the warmth and color out of the world. He turned to check on Kagome.

She still held the bow loosely in one hand, lying on her side and covered in his haori. "Kagome?"

Relief flooded through him in a warm wave when she stirred. Her eyes opened as she lifted her body into a sitting position, looking around in confusion. "What happened?"

"What happened?! We just got attacked by some youkai and you were almost too weak to fight it, that's what happened!"

Kagome stood and shrugged his haori from her shoulders, showing no sign of aftermath from the thing's visit. "Well, why couldn't YOU fight it?"

Inuyasha blinked at her. "I..." He closed his mouth. Opened it. Closed. Then he glanced down at his hands... and they were still raw. "What the hell?" He held them up in front of his face, just in case his eyes were playing tricks on him. They weren't.

"What happened to your hands?" Kagome asked, grabbing hold of his right wrist and pulling his arm down so that she could examine it.

Inuyasha twitched out of her grasp, a blush threatening to emerge. "Well, if you were a little _stronger_, you would have been in the real world enough to know!"

"I don't know what you're _talking_ about, Inuyasha!"

"Fine. Whatever. Do you remember that thing that came out of the woods, the one that froze the air?"

Kagome nodded. "I remember that... but everything else is a blur."

"Well, it froze Tetsusaiga too. Gave me a pretty bad burn." He looked up at the sky, then back at his hands. "It looks like it's been about an hour or two. They should be healed by now. What kind of youkai-"

"_Not_ a youkai..." Sango approached them, her eyes darting all over the area as if searching for signs that the strange being remained.

"Well, it sure wasn't a ningen! What the hell was it, then?"

There was no reply from the taijiya. Her eyes were fixed on a point that was relatively far away. She raised a hand and tugged the straps that held Hiraikotsu free, letting the weapon thud to the ground behind her. She then took off at a run.

"Why did she..." Kagome began, but she saw the reason right away. "Miroku-sama!" She, too, dashed toward him.

The monk lay sprawled on his back in the grass, his staff lying several feet to his right. Sango rushed to his side and dropped to her knees. "Houshi-sama? Houshi-sama, are you all right?"

At first, there was no reply. Sango had seen how close to the void he had been, and she was terrified of what it could mean. If her first hunch was correct...She admonished herself for not being able to throw aside her fears, but there was nothing to be done now. All she could do was hope that she was wrong about the identity of that thing... while knowing that she was exactly right.

After a while, Miroku's eyelids began to flutter. When they opened, he stared for a moment at Sango's face. Then, he said something that almost floored her.

"What are you ogling, fool wench?"

Sango leaned backward, eyes wide. 'Houshi-sama doesn't talk like this...' "E-excuse me?" she managed, peering closely at his face. His eyes appeared cloudy, as if he were only half-conscious.

As she watched, Miroku clamped his eyes tightly shut. When he reopened them, they had returned to their normal hue, and the hardened look vanished from his face. "Sango-sama?" He propped himself up on his elbows and offered her a grin. A lecherous grin.

Before he had even fully sat up, he was flattened again, this time, with a huge lump on his head.

'I guess he's fine...' Sango sighed. 'That outburst, though... It scared me. It must have been an effect of the shock.'

Inuyasha landed beside the kneeling young woman, having bounded across the clearing effortlessly. Kagome trotted up behind him, muttering. "You couldn't have just _carried_ me, oh, no... I had to _run_..." Upon seeing Miroku's state, she laughed. "I take it he's okay?"

Sango resisted the urge to tell them of Miroku's odd statement. He seemed to be himself now... "Hai, Kagome-chan. He's okay."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"Hey, Kaede? What'cha doin'?"

The kit was perched on a fencepost, peering down at the old miko.

"I am gathering herbs for medicines, Shippou." Kaede sighed and continued her work.

"Oh." There was silence for a few seconds. "What are you doing now?" Shippou was balanced on the tips of his tiny toes as if he was going to spring from the fence.

The miko sighed again. "I am straightening the leaves of the plant."

"Oh." Then- "Why?"

"Because if they are folded, they will dry up much faster."

"Okay." For a moment, it seemed as if there would be peace in the garden.... "How about now? What are you doing now?"

"Shippou..." Kaede began, her eye narrowing slightly. "Do ye have no where else to go?"

"Well, since everyone else left me here, I don't think so!" He pouted for a second. "So... what'cha doin'?"

Kaede dropped the plant that she was holding. "Shippou, perhaps ye would have more fun if ye went to play with Kirara?"

Shippou brightened. "Oh, yeah!" He _did _spring from the fence, on his way to find the neko youkai, who had also been left behind. 'The others should be back soon!' he thought happily, sniffing the air carefully. When he caught Kirara's scent, he fled in her direction, grinning.

The neko was lying in the midst of a flower-filled field, seemingly stalking a bug... that ran off when Shippou dashed up and lay down beside the small youkai.

"Hi Kirara... what'cha doin'?"

The neko glared.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Later that night, the group had returned to Kaede's hut, a bit dirty from lying on the ground for a couple of hours, but otherwise fine. Inuyasha's palms had healed, leaving only a light pinkish tint. Kagome had been pestering Sango to tell of her suspicions on the return trip, but the taijiya had stoutly refused, making the excuse that she wanted to run the story by Kaede, so that the old miko could fill in the blank spots. Kagome wasn't convinced, but she let it go.

"So, have ye located any more shards?" Kaede queried, sipping at her tea.

Kagome shook her head. "Iie. We haven't even gotten so much as a rumor of where another one may be. I didn't even sense anything..."  


"Do you think we may have found all of the loose shards, Kagome-sama?" Miroku asked. He took the time to glance in Sango's direction, and he watched as she bowed her head, obviously embarrassed. 'So... she _was_ watching me..."

Kagome responded negatively, and the others (minus Inuyasha, who was glaring at Shippou. The kit was absentmindedly toying with a few long, silver strands of hair...) echoed her response.

Kaede looked around at the group. "If ye have found no shards, why do ye look so harried? Have ye fought a battle with a normal youkai, then?"

Miroku and Inuyasha paired up to tell the story of the strange being that they had fought, since the girls were pretty much out of action.

"What sort of a youkai could do this sort of thing to ye?" Kaede asked, after they had finished.

Inuyasha spoke up. "It was some kind of cold youkai, but I don't know what it was. Sango seems to know, though."

Sango shot him a harassed look as Kagome said, "Oh, yeah! Sango, you said that you were waiting until we reached Kaede's to tell us about that thing! Well?"

Sango took a deep breath. "The story was told to me by my... my father. It was a story that was meant to scare children into behaving. I was five when I heard it."

Kagome brightened. "Oh, you mean like a boogeyman story?"

Blank looks pervaded the room. Kagome laughed weakly. "Nevermind."

The taijiya absentmindedly stroked Kirara's fur as she gathered her thoughts to continue. The small youkai looked up from her lap and let out a rumbling purr, trying to offer some degree of comfort. It was a wasted effort.

"The story began with a murderer. He killed many in his lifetime, without remorse. He may have been human, but his heart seemed to be that of the most vicious youkai. Men, women, children... none were safe from his cruelty. It is said that his soul eventually became so corrupt that death was beyond him. He became a sort of youkai, one that is continually regenerated."

"How did we kill it, then?" Kagome asked, leaning forward slightly.

"If my guess is correct, we caught it at the end of one of its lifespans. When it dies, it is said to be immediately regenerated, returning to the body of a human, then repeating the entire process."

Miroku nodded, having absorbed all of this information. "So, you say that this thing cannot be killed. Upon ending one of its 'lifespans', its life simply restarts?"

Sango wrung her hands slightly. "Not exactly. It is purely myth, but... its soul is supposed to implant itself in another human..."

"Why did you cover your ears, Sango?" Inuyasha asked suddenly. He had seen the strange action out of the corner of his eye, and had wondered about it since.

"Ne?" Sango blinked for a few seconds, then uttered a wry laugh. "It's silly, but the thing's soul is said to enter one's body through the ears."

"Ridiculous," Miroku muttered.

"What?" Kagome frowned at him.

The monk blinked. "Nothing..."

Kagome gave him a strange look, then shrugged and turned back to Sango. "Why did you say that this thing wasn't a youkai? It sure sounds like one to me."

"He has no will. Any basic creature has a will. This thing is empty. For a while, it is said to feed from the will of its 'host', but soon, it becomes a hollow shell that spreads only discord and pain."

Silence hung on the air for a few moments. Then, Kaede spoke. "Thy story rings true, Sango-san. I have heard of such a creature. I doubt that this is a myth."

Sango drew in a sharp breath. "So..."

"Yes. Such a thing is loose on the world."

Kagome stared, wide-eyed, at the pair. "That's awful!"

"It had apparently become too weak to kill any longer, and was drawing its sustenance from the vibrance of other things."

"You know more of this beast?" Miroku asked, glancing at Kaede. "Something that we don't know?"

"Hai. I know that is called the black phoenix... and that there is only one way to destroy it."

"How is that, Kaede-baa-chan?" Kagome asked.

"Ah, I know not. I perused the manuscripts years ago, and I have forgotten all that I read. They are here somewhere, though... I will search for them."

"Why did it take my hands so long to heal?" Inuyasha mused, mostly to himself than to anyone else.

Sango chose to respond. "Because the coldness that we felt was not just cold. It was death. It didn't injure the flesh of your hands... it killed it."

More silence ensued.

Then, Inuyasha abruptly stood. "There's no need to look for the stuff, baba. We're not going to search for some evil spirit that kills ningens!"

"And why not, Inuyasha?" said Kagome, turning to face him.

"Well, this thing's been doing this for centuries, probably! What makes it _our_ business now?"

"We set its spirit free," Sango remarked quietly.

"So?"

"It is our duty to make sure that it is put to rest," Miroku responded. "Kaede-baa-chan, would you look for the manuscript?"

The woman nodded. "It is here somewhere..." she repeated, glancing around as if planning to see it lying in a corner.

Inuyasha was staring around at the group in disbelief. "You... you're all gonna... but... _Don't we have enough to deal with_?!?!"

Kagome sighed. "Inuyasha, it's the right thing to do."

"Since when have I ever done the right thing?"

"Since now." Kagome started toward the door to the hut, grinning.

"Oi! Where are you going?"

"I'm going home..." Kagome answered. "I've got to get some other clothes. I can't afford to freeze again, thank you very much!"

"I will walk you there, Kagome-sama," Miroku offered, standing.

Sango stood as well, and yanked Miroku's ear. "Oh, no you don't. I can just imagine what you'd be up to."

"Sango-sama, I am entirely innocent! How could you suspect such a thing of me?" Miroku gave her a pitiful look, and she sighed.

"Fine. But if Inuyasha hears her scream or anything-" 

She stopped. She blinked at the empty spot where Miroku had been just seconds before. The reed door was swaying gently. Sango sighed, then turned to Kaede. "I'll help you search for the information, I guess."

It was at this moment that Shippou decided to see whether Inuyasha's ears were edible, detatchable, or both.

He was then quickly assured that it was neither. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Make me happy and review, please!


	3. Unnoticed Narrow Escape

Corisu Li: Squaaa! Reviews ROCK! *huggles them* Now, keep 'em coming!

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Chapter 3: Unnoticed Narrow Escape

"AAAHHH!" The kitsune burst into the hut and huddled behind Kaede, shivering.

Sango raised her head from the scroll that she was examining, adopted an amused expression, and asked, "_Why_ do you continue to provoke him, Shippou?"

Shippou managed to look proud as he crossed his arms and huffed. "It's not _me_... he just overreacts!"

Kaede turned so that she could see the kit. "Maybe ye should not tease him so often, ne?"

Shippou opened his mouth to reply, but at that moment, the reed door was shoved aside as a very irritated hanyou entered. "Where is he?" he asked simply, his ears twitching angrily.

A whimper came from the pile of scrolls at Sango's feet.

"AHA!" Inuyasha pounced, attempting to yank Shippou from his hiding place, but the kitsune burst out before the hanyou could reach him. Screaming bloody murder, he scampered out of the hut.

Inuyasha cursed and gave chase; the two vanished into the forest.

Kaede and Sango sweatdropped. A scroll dangled across Sango's head, partially obscuring her face. The other scrolls had been scattered all over the room in the scuffle.

Kaede sighed and stood. "It will take us hours to search through all of these scrolls now." She looked around at the mess that the twosome had left in their wake.

When there was no reply from Sango, the old miko turned to look at her.

The taijiya's eyes were wide, and she appeared to be reading the scroll that dangled in front of her eyes. "This is it!" she gasped suddenly, snatching it from its resting place and smoothing it out on the floor of the hut.

Kaede stepped over to her, kneeling beside Sango to read the document for herself.

The first part of the scroll was filled with information that the two had already discerned... and a little that it hadn't.

Sango's eyes widened as she read. 'Drinks blood... targets virgin maidens... Kami-sama, this thing is _vile_!'

__

Her eyes continued to slide down the page. It was stuffed with information about the phoenix, but there was absolutely no information on how to defeat it. She read the last line with a dejected sigh. "Nothing!" She let the air out of her lungs with one long exhalation.

Sango released the scroll and it sprang back into a coil. She was preparing to grab another that was nearby when Kaede reached out a hand to stop her. "Do that again..." the old miko muttered.

Sango was taken aback, but she complied. She uncoiled the scroll once more, and released it with a snap. This time, she caught it. There was writing on the back of the scroll... very miniscule characters. 

She flipped the scroll over, hope rekindled. There seemed to be three lines of writing, but where the lines stretched into the sun, they vanished.

"Interesting..." Kaede murmured. She reached forward to touch the paper. In so doing, she cast her shadow over the remainder of the scroll that was not already obscured by Sango. The wrtiting was revealed.

Sango blinked. 'A haiku?'

****

"To destroy the dark

Show him the one thing that he

Can not understand."

__

Kaede read the words aloud, then puzzled over them. "Interesting."

Sango tilted her head back and closed her eyes, thinking. A ray of sunlight shone across her face and struck the scroll, causing the first line to vanish. 'Show him the one thing that he can not understand... What does that _mean_?'

"I fear that we are no further along than we were at the beginning," Kaede mused, standing. The back of the scroll now appeared blank in the full light.

Sango released the scroll once more and sighed. "Maybe. But at least we have some sort of clue. A vague one, but it is a clue nonetheless."

Kaede sighed and lifted another parchment from the floor. "We should continue our search."

The taijiya nodded. She placed the informative scroll beside her cushion and reached for another, still puzzling over the riddle.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

__

I wish to see her squirm. Make her scream for me... bleed for me.

Miroku halted suddenly, and Kagome turned back, puzzled. "Miroku-sama? Is something wrong?"

"Did you hear something?"

Kagome looked puzzled and inclined her head a bit. When she heard nothing, she said so.

The monk shrugged and resumed walking; Kagome did the same. Her thoughts were on nothing more than going back home, having a nice long soak in the tub, and stocking up on warmer clothing.

Miroku was just beginning to forget about the throaty voice when it made itself known once more.

__

Veins that hold much precious blood pulse beneath the surface.

Miroku gave a minute twitch and halted momentarily. The pair had finally reached the clearing; the well was in plain sight. Kagome didn't notice Miroku's pause this time and continued walking toward the well.

__

Veins so near the surface... One cut in the right place would end it swiftly...

Miroku put a hand to his forehead and felt cold sweat there, as if he had just awakened from a horrible nightmare. His fingers were trembling slightly, like they were withstanding an amazing amount of pressure.

__

The warmth of her blood... The smell of it... The taste of it...

The monk was only vaguely aware that his pace had quickened. His body seemed to be responding to an unconscious desire to reach the young miko before she climbed into the well. His feverishly darting eyes spotted a broken arrowhead off to his right and he seized it quickly, not breaking stride. The rough edges of the piece of stone bit into his hand, but he didn't slow. Kagome's figure was getting gradually nearer.

__

Catch her... Spill her blood...

Miroku was now completely unaware, as was the girl in front of him. She had hoisted herself onto the top of the well and was preparing to slide into it. With a nearly inaudible snarl, he broke into a impulsivetrot. His fingers twitched around the arrowhead and his own blood seeped between his fingers, but he didn't feel a thing. She came closer. Closer.

__

So near... so near...

His hand darted out - her head was mere inches away from his fingers when a shout from the woods caused him to falter. Kagome slid into the well, oblivious of what she'd just escaped.

"KAGOMEEEEEEEE!!!" The second shout consisted of one warbling word. Miroku blinked. Then, quite suddenly, something collided with his back.

Caught off guard, Miroku crashed to the ground. His hand opened and the sharp stone flew free. The jolt brought him back to himself, wondering vaguely why his hand ached. He then became aware of a kitsune attatched to his back.

"Miroku! You have to help me! Inuyasha's going to kill me!" he sobbed into Miroku's robes.

The monk reached backward and lifted the kit from his back, setting him on the ground. Still trying to clear his mind, he asked, "What did you do, Shippou?"

Shippou sniffed. "Nothing! Well, I might have bit his ears a little, but he's being a jerk about it!"

Just then, an enraged shout echoed through the trees. "Get BACK here you little BRAT!"

Shippou let out a squeak and hid behind Miroku once more. "Is Kagome gone?" he queried.

Miroku looked at the well that the two were so close to. 'I don't remember seeing Kagome-sama enter the well...' he thought. He judged, however, that she had, because she was nowhere in the clearing. "Hai."

"I'm gonna DIEEEEEEEEE..." Shippou moaned, just as Inuyasha burst into sight.

"Where is he? Where that little runt? I'll-"

Miroku reached behind him once more and drew Shippou from his shelter. "Here he is," he stated innocently.

A glint shone in Inuyasha's eyes as he began to stalk forward - and he quickly made acquaintance with Miroku's staff. The monk released Shippou, who immediately disappeared into the trees.

Miroku sighed. "Inuyasha, I don't think Kagome-sama would be very pleased with you if she returned to find a dead Shippou."

Inuyasha crossed his arms, a gesture of agreement to those that knew him well. "Feh."

"Now," Miroku switched his staff to his injured hand, trying not to wince, and clapped the other hand onto Inuyasha's shoulder. "Let's go."

Inuyasha conceded and began to follow the monk back to the village, but Miroku's jovial manner hadn't fooled him in the slightest. He had smelled the monk's blood as soon as he entered the clearing, but he chose to say nothing. Still, he kept a close watch on the monk during the fairly short journey.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Corisu Li: Whee! ^_^ That was fun!

Kunoichi: You're sadistic. *is currently balanced on one toe on the back of a chair*

Corisu Li: Yah. So? *pokes the insane alter-ego*

Kunoichi: *falls and catches self in a one-armed headstand* ^^;; Nevermind.

Corisu Li: Now it gets fun! Of course, you already know what's going on due to the summary, but I feel the need to proloooong the action. Why, you ask?

Kunoichi: 'Cuz you're sadistic!

Corisu Li: *nods happily* Review, or I won't update until May! *ominous music*

Kunoichi: *shoves about seven Tootsie Rolls into her mouth* I'gd beweeve huhr, tuu!


	4. The First to Die

Corisu Li: *stares at the reviewers*

Kunoichi: Uh-oh. I think you made her mad...

Corisu Li: Dude. You guys are so SMART! So many of you figured out the haiku right away! *glomps reviewers who got it*

Kunoichi: Okay... *stares at grandpa's friend* Ok... he's really drunk. It's 58 degrees and he just said, "That's not rain, it's sleet! We'd be in trouble if it was cold!" *bursts into giggles*

Corisu Li: Oh... dear... *collapses in laughter* Eheheh...I don't own the Inu characters. It's a good thing, too, because no one would watch the anime or read the manga then. *stares sadly at the lack of reviews*

Kunoichi: Oh! And WARNING!!!!!! THERE IS DEATH IN THIS CHAPTER!!! ICKY DEATH!!!! IF YOU ARE EASILY DISTURBED, DO NOT READ BEYOND THE DIVIDER THAT STRETCHES ALL THE WAY ACROSS!!!! Well, actually, it's not that bad. But still! Be waaaaarned.

****

Chapter 4: The First to Die

The sun twinkled merrily as it smiled down on the group of travelers that were moving beneath it. Upon Kagome's return, the tachi had decided that it would be best to continue their search for jewel shards, staying alert for any news of strange occurrences or deaths. Shippou was delighted that he was allowed to come, and was currently clinging happily to Kagome's shoulder. Kirara was.. slightly less delighted. She had hoped that she would be left at Kaede's, far from the kitsune's incessant babble. No such luck.

Kagome was now outfitted with a pair of jeans and a t-shirt... and was currently progressing from one extreme to another...

"I'm _hot_," she whimpered, gently tugging on the front of her t-shirt in an effort to cool her body. Sango and Miroku sighed. Inuyasha, however, paused.

"If you want to cool off, there's a lake over there..." he pointed. "We're not too far from a village, so we could camp here and stop there tomorrow."

After a few more steps, Inuyasha realized that no one was following. "What?" he turned to look at them. All three of his human companions were staring, mouths open. "What?" he repeated.

Suddenly, Miroku stepped forward and peered into Inuyasha's eyes. "You're suggesting that we stop for the day? Are you ill?"

The girls joined Miroku at Inuyasha's side. Sango pressed a hand to his forehead to check for a fever while Kagome felt for his pulse. Inuyasha's eyes widened and he sweatdropped, backing out of the reach of his friends. "I'm fine! I just pointed it out because Kagome said that she was hot, and she could cool down there!" When everyone continued to gape, he added, "And besides, how are we supposed to find any jewel shards if the wench has a heat stroke?"

Silence punctuated this remark. Then, the girls exchanged gleeful looks. Kagome grinned and gave Inuyasha a brief kiss on the cheek. His eyes widened and his blush deepened. "Arigatou, Inuyasha," she said, before bounding off in the direction that he had indicated, followed by Sango. Kirara gave the males a warning glare before pursuing the girls and Shippou.

Inuyasha stared after them, his eyes still unnaturally wide. He only came out of it when Miroku leaned into his line of sight, grinning lecherously. "Well-"

"Shut up, monk." The command came almost unbidden.

Miroku shrugged and obliged.

Inuyasha glanced up at the sun, which was already beginning to list toward the west. "We should collect some firewood before the girls get back," he said. 

Miroku nodded. "You're right."

"Oh, and Miroku? Don't even think about it." 

The monk blinked innocently. "Think about what?"

Inuyasha fixed him with a glare for a few seconds, then scoffed and disappeared in the opposite direction of the girls.

Miroku stood for a moment, weighing his options. 'Well, he didn't say _what_ I shouldn't think about...' A merry grin on his face, he chose the path that the girls had taken.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

It was restless.

It was _hungry_...

It had been so long since its last meal. It could feel itself weakening, but the hunger served to provide it with a sort of feral desire to live. At the moment, it had been doing a fair job of asserting itself, but it would be able to do nothing without nourishment.

'_I hunger_.'

Its host was strong... It had yet to figure out if this was a blessing or a bane.

A strong host would supply it with formidable power, making it much easier to overcome its prey...

But a strong host was not very likely to relinquish its hold easily... and the will of this one was very powerful...

However... this will was weakening even as it lay in wait, contemplating its situation. The need was knawing at its insides... something had to be done!

'_I _hunger.'

Its host was moving. something made itself felt beyond the recesses of the mental blockade that was the will of the host. A hole of some sort, a breach in this host's resolve...

It would have grinned, if it had a mouth... 

...it would have one soon.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Miroku crept through the brush, making a valiant effort not to brush or step on anything that would betray his presence. He moved quite slowly; there was no sign of the neko that was keeping watch, but it wouldn't hurt to be careful.

Then: noises, from his right. A sigh, and the murmur of conversation. A grin spread itself across his face as he began to move toward the sounds.

__

I hunger.

The exact moment when he lost control of his legs escaped him. All he knew was that, suddenly, he was moving much faster than he had dared before. His feet crunched over dry leaves and he winced, knowing that he was making more noise than was wise. He tried to slow... only to discover that he could not.

__

I hunger.

Miroku vanished, and was replaced by _it_. The meaning behind the grin on his face changed to that of a savage desire to shed blood. It heard the splash of water and knelt behind a bush at the lake's edge. 

One quick peek told it all that it needed to know. The miko was closest; her back was only feet away. The taijiya and the kitsune were swimming out near the middle of the lake. There was no way that they could return in time to aid their friend.

It stood, a fierce light shining in its eyes, and reached toward the girl's back. His hands brushed the skin of her shoulders when-

WHUMP.

It found itself flat on its back. Panicking, it retreated below the surface and forced the monk to the forefront.

Miroku blinked blearily and found himself staring into a nekoyoukai's bared fangs. Her paws were on his shoulder, preventing movement. "Kirara?"

Kagome appeared over the top of the bush, wrapped in a towel. She blushed, but her brow darkened angrily. "HENTAI!!!!" She would have pelted him with various objects from her handy-dandy backpack if Kirara had let him up. Which, Kagome noticed, she was not.

The firecat didn't break her concentration on Miroku's face. Snarls erupted from her throat every few seconds, rendering the monk unable to move.

Kagome extended a hand toward the neko, then flinched back upon seeing that Kirara's fur was standing on end. 

Sango appeared as well, also wearing a towel. Upon seeing the situation, she merely clucked her tongue as if she had been expecting this. Indeed, she had. "Well, Houshi-sama, you're in an interesting predicament, ne?" She frowned upon seeing Kirara's reaction to Miroku's intrustion. The youkai was snarling and spitting, behavior seen only in the midst of battle.

Miroku turned to face her. "Ah. Sango-san. Perhaps you could remove Kirara from me? Then, I can leave you all in peace while I discover how I came to be here." The last part came out of nowhere, but Miroku found his words true.

The two girls exchanged exasperated glances and rolled their eyes as one. Sango raised an eyebrow. "Who are you trying to fool? You came here to spy on us."

Miroku caught the eye of his hovering threat and winced. "Well... that was my original intention... but I was sure that I hadn't come this close."

Sango sighed, then stepped forward to pull Kirara from Miroku. The cat didn't go quietly; she hissed angrily at Miroku even as she was being led away. Once, Sango had to grab hold of her paw to keep her from lashing out at the monk.

Miroku rose, keeping a wary eye on the enraged neko. "Ano... perhaps I should be leaving, then."

"And don't try any funny stuff, either!" Kagome added. "You wouldn't want Kirara on your back again."

"Or my shoulders," Miroku amended, rubbing the sore parts of his anatomy. He turned and strode off in the direction of the camp, remembering to pick up dry wood for the fire on his return trip.

Kirara didn't relax until Miroku was out of sight. She sank down on her haunches, her keen eyes searching the forest for any foreign object. 

Sango looked at the nekoyoukai with odd concern. What had evoked such a display of malice? Trying their best to forget what had happened, the girls dressed under the watchful eye of their sentinel.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

When Miroku returned to camp, he found Inuyasha sitting with his back against the trunk of a tree. His arms were folded, his eyes closed. His share of the wood was stacked neatly in the center of the clearing. Without opening his eyes, Inuyasha asked, "So. While you were terrorizing the girls, did you happen to get some matches for the fire?"

Miroku hesitated. "You heard Kagome-sama's shriek." It was not a question.

Inuyasha's eyes flickered open. "Of course I did! What, do you think these ears are for show?"

Miroku dropped his wood beside Inuyasha's. "No. I alway thought that they were meant to accentuate your over-large head."

The girls arrived to the quite entertaining sight of Inuyasha chasing Miroku around the camp, while the monk screamed, "I'm sorry! Your head is quite small!"

Hours passed. Dinner was cooked, monks were knocked unconscious, and various resting places were prepared for the night. The sun surrendered to the overbearing presence of darkness as night spread its blanket over the sleeping world. 

However...

There was one who did not sleep.

__

Will is weakened in slumber...

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"Tsuya?" The girl called, wandering through the trees and scanning the ground for any sign of her missing pet. The rabbit had bolted from her hut and disappeared into the dark forest. Trusting that she could return before her parents realized her absence, the girl had left in search of her beloved pet.

"Tsuya?" There was a tinge of desperation in her voice now. Though she was in her mid-teens, the fears of childhood are never left far behind. Fears of the dark... of the unknown.

One more call was cut short as the girl caught sight of something white out of the corner of her eye. "Tsuya! There you are! I th-" The rest of her words died before they could be properly sent to her mouth. In the rabbit's pure white fur, there were streaks of deep crimson. Blood...

The girl gasped and recoiled in horror. She stumbled backward-

-into something warm. And breathing.

Her breath hitched in her throat as she prepared to scream, but a hand was clamped over her mouth before she could voice her terror; an arm encircling her waist. "Don't fight, maiden..." The man's voice hissed the words into her ear, his breath causing her to shiver violently.

Deciding not to heed his warning, the girl began to thrash wildly, clawing at the spot where she figured that his face would be.

He released her waist and caught both of her wrists with one fluid motion. Whimpers of terror were escaping her throat now. With her arms out of commission, she resigned to using her only weapons. She began to kick, lashing out at any part of his body that she thought she could reach.

Then, suddenly, the man dropped to his knees. A moan of pain escaped her as he knelt on her lower legs, forcing _her_ into a kneeling position. Her side was now facing his chest; her head was positioned so that she could clearly see the dead body of her dear rabbit. If someone had told her the day before that the creature would bring such a thing upon her...

The hand on her mouth pulled her back so that she almost lay across his lap. She tried to bite him, but his movements had been perfected over centuries. The palm of his hand was cupped; it was well out of the reach of her furiously working teeth.

"My dear..." His voice was revulsion that poured from the lips of evil itself. "Do not struggle with me. You will make it that much more difficult..."

Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted a glittering knife lying on the ground. For one brief moment, she contemplated trying to somehow grab it; then, she came to a horrifying conclusion.

It had all been planned. 

He had known that she would fight, how she would fight, and what he needed to do to bring himself within close proximity of his weapon. Another moan tore from her throat and she struggled feebly.

"Don't scream, now. I may have to make it... painful... if you do." The hand on her mouth lifted slowly. Her chest expanded as she prepared to shriek-

-and the knife was pressed to her throat. "Now, now. We don't want any interruptions..." He lowered his face so that their noses were almost touching.

The pain from the angle at which he was holding her arms was making her eyes tear up. She couldn't budge an inch; the knife and her awkward position was perfect for him. 'Planned,' she thought again. Her lips parted... she could feel the knife pressing more firmly against her throat. "Why?" she croaked.

The man looked oddly surprised. "Why?" he echoed. A merciless light shone in his eyes, a beacon in the darkness.

__

Because I hunger.

"Because I hunger." When he had echoed the words, he pressed his mouth to the girl's in a rough kiss as he slit her throat. His own mouth muffled her initial cry as well as her subsequent moans and gurgles. With glee, he noticed that severing some structure in her neck had allowed blood to back up into her mouth; he accepted this willingly, and didn't release his hold until the blood ceased to gush from her neck.

"Thank you, maiden..." he hissed, using his thumbs to close the girl's eyelids. "Tonight, I feed... and grow stronger..."

He finally lowered his mouth to the gaping wound at the girl's throat.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Corisu Li: Wheeeeeee! Death! *parties*

Aamalie: Wheeeeeee! Death! *parties*

Corisu Li: Hey, what are you doing here?

Aamalie: *blinks* Nothin'.

Corisu Li: *shrugs* Well, then, for all who don't know, this is my beta reader! *points unnecessarily*

Aamalie: *waves*

Kunoichi: *whispers* She's a disclaimer-crasher...

Aamalie: *whips out the DigiHammer* What was that?

Kunoichi: O.O;; Meep.

Corisu Li: Oh! Look! Something new! A chapter preview! *points unnecessarily again*

~*~*~*

Preview of **Chapter 5: Secret**

The young man placed his hand on that of the dead girl and turned solemn and stricken eyes to the group. "She was found in the forest. Her parents believe that she was out searching for her pet rabbit."

Miroku gasped inwardly. 'It couldn't be...' Memories of how he'd found himself that morning came flooding back...

~* Review, please!*~


	5. Secret

Corisu Li: Eheheheh. Whoo... *laughs sheepishly* Yeah. Well, Aamalie basically yelled at me to get off my lazy bum and write, so I did... Plus, I want the new chapter to Splintered Coral!!! *pouts* Gimme, gimme, gimme! I updated, now pay up! ^_____^

Disclaimer: I don't own Burger King. (Yes. Random, I know. But I don't! ^^;;)

****

Chapter 5: Secret

As Miroku stirred, he became aware of two things. One, his skin was moist with dew from the grass that cushioned his head.

Two, he was nowhere near his companions.

This last realization was made without the use of his eyes. There was no crackle of a fire burning as Kagome prepared the morning meal, no squeals as Inuyasha chased Shippou around the camp. There was just the gentle swish of trees in the wind and the placid lapping of water.

'Water?'

Finally, he opened his eyes. The sunlight seared into them, and he closed them again automatically. Deciding not to chance that action again, he focused on sitting up. His arms were slightly wobbly, as if he had strained them the night before, but he had only minimal difficulty in rising to a kneeling position. A rushing feeling filled his head immediately, and his consciousness swirled. His balance failed him, and he swayed and landed hard on his right arm.

Miroku was now beginning to feel frustrated... and slightly sick. His stomach pitched and tossed as he lay on his side, trying to compose himself for another attempt at rising. He lay there for quite a few minutes, breathing deeply and trying to calm his raging insides. As he rested, he became aware that his face felt tightened; the front of his body felt slick and wet.

Unable to bear the enigma any longer, he forced himself back to his knees in one movement. His stomach was really churning now, and he clamped his teeth against the bile that was rising. He opened his eyes once more. This time, his pupils dilated properly, and the world about him came gradually into focus. He almost wished that they hadn't.

The ground where he had been lying was coated in blood; the front of his robes was in the same state. He wondered hazily where his purple kesa was, then he spotted it lying near the water. Dimly aware that he was at the same place where he had tried to spy on the girls before, he began to crawl toward it, not trusting his legs to support him. Many times, he almost slipped on the crimson-saturated ground.

The cloth was folded over a sizeable lump, and Miroku was suddenly struck with foreboding. 'What's going on here?' He slowly reached out a hand and flipped back the top fold of his kesa, as if desperate to get the motion over with.

Lying in the center was a dead white rabbit. Its tongue was lolling out of its mouth and its eyes were bulging. Its throat was apparently slit; thick, matted blood stained the fur at its neck.

Beside it lay a long, slender knife.

This was too much for Miroku's momentarily weak constitution. He turned his head away from the corpse and heaved. When he felt utterly empty, he moved from the place with disgust. But not before noting that his vomit was the color of freshly-shed blood.

Miroku began to shake. There was too much blood... too much to have come from this small rabbit! True, it was cut at the place that would yield the most blood, but... but...

As much as he wracked his brain, he couldn't explain away the copious amounts of blood without figuring the rabbit into his considerations. Maybe it really _had_ come from the animal...

A jolt of terror ran up his spine when he realized that he was _guessing_ about the origin of the blood. 'Why don't I know? Why don't I... remember?' He tried valiantly, but his mind refused to conjure up memories of the past night. He clearly remembered falling asleep... and he remembered waking up beside the lake. There simply was nothing else for him to remember.

His face still felt tight. Almost absentmindedly, he raised his left hand to his cheek and rubbed lightly. A few dark flakes fell into his palm and he stared at them in disbelief. Dried blood? Why was there-

"What..." he tried out his voice, but it came as nothing but a barely audible croak. After a few more efforts at speech, he halted. His voice would be fine, in time... he hoped. He sat for a while, staring alternately at his hands and the blood-stained kesa.

Finally deciding that the worst thing that he could do would be to stay alone in the woods, Miroku pushed himself to his feet in stages. He swayed slightly once his legs took his entire weight, but he managed to stand. 'Where's my staff?' he wondered vaguely, then forced a harsh chuckle from between his lips. He was worried about the wrong thing...

He reached down, as if to pull his kesa from under the rabbit's body, but he paused, thinking. 'I must bathe, first,' he decided. 'Inuyasha, Kirara, and Shippou will probably pick up on it anyway, but it's worth a try...'

As he pulled away his robes, he realized again just how much blood there was. It had seeped through the layers of his robes to stain his chest a dusky red. Shaking his head slightly, he lowered himself into the water, then took to washing his clothing. First, he pulled his robes into the water and rubbed them vigorously between his hands. The black fabric would obscure any wayward stains, true, but he wanted them to be immaculate. When they were as clean as could be hoped, he spread his garments on top of a large rock near the lake to dry. After repeating the procedure with his kesa (ripping it from under the rabbit and the knife without looking at either), he tended to himself, moving deeper into the water and diving under, letting the water lift the stains from his skin.

When he was finally satisfied with his own level of cleanliness, he swam back to the bank. He was content to find that his clothes were nearly dry, thanks to the sun that cast a boiling heat over everything, even at this early hour of the morning.

Miroku couldn't prevent his eyes from straying to the rabbit and the knife. Where had those come from? And why couldn't he remember his actions of the previous night? Had he been sleepwalking, perhaps?

He rose from the water and dressed quickly, then looked back at the items that were still lying in the grass, close to the river's edge. In a quick movement, he seized the rabbit by the foot. Regardless of its origin, it would be fine once cooked. His eyes strayed over the knife, but he turned toward the woods without it.

__

No.

He halted and spun back around, dropping the animal that he held. Stepping back to the waterside, he lifted the knife and dipped it into the water, cleansing it of blood and stroking the blade lovingly. When it sparkled and glinted, he smiled vacantly and tucked it deep within his robes. He once more turned into the trees, his own will back under his control, and strode back toward camp...

...leaving the rabbit on the grass...

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Sango's arm moved methodically, almost mechanically, as she tended Hiraikotsu. Rubbing in the tallow that she had brought, the weapon slowly began to shine, leaving no dent or scratch to mar its smooth surface.

She wasn't doing this because the boomerang needed it; on the contrary, she had just tended it days ago. She did it to keep her mind off a certain missing monk.

The group had awoken that morning to find Miroku missing. Inuyasha waved it off quite easily, saying that he'd probably gone to bathe or scout ahead. Kagome had frowned at this, saying that Miroku had never taken that course of action before, but a well-timed 'Feh!' from Inuyasha seemed to assure her and she had set about making breakfast.

The matter wasn't as easily dismissed from Sango's mind. 'Where could he have gone? What if something happened to him?' It took the utmost power of will (and the occupation of her hands with some task) not to hop onto Kirara and go scouting for him.

She scoffed softly and flipped Hiraikotsu, beginning to buff the other side. Inuyasha heard and turned his ears toward her, but she didn't speak.

'Why do I care so much?' she wondered, absentmindedly rubbing the same area of her weapon as she gazed at her moving hand, apparently in deep thought. 'I mean... it's not like he's anything more than a travelling companion to me, ne? And besides, he's so lecherous tha-'

"SANGO!!!"

Sango squeaked slightly in surprise and instantly yanked up her boomerang and caught the figure in front of her in the chin. It was a very dazed and confused Inuyasha that crumpled to the ground in front of her. Shippou began to laugh hysterically from Kagome's side.

Sango blinked. "Uh... gomen?"

Kagome stared at Inuyasha's prone form, trying to hold back laughter. "He was just worried, Sango-chan. You haven't said a thing all morning. And just now, you were polishing the same part of Hiraikotsu for a few minutes. He called you about three times..."

Sango blinked again. "Oh. Well, I'm fine, Kagome-chan... just-"

Inuyasha suddenly regained consciousness and sprang to his feet. "What was that for?!?!" He glared at Sango for a moment, then whirled on Kagome. "AND I WASN'T WORRIED!!!!"

Kagome sighed. "Whatever you say, Inuyasha."

Sango opened her mouth to continue what she had been saying when she felt a foreign touch... on her chest...

"HENTAIIIIIII!" Hiraikotsu flashed through the air for the second time in five minutes. A swirly-eyed monk was suddenly sitting (rather, standing on his head) beside a tree, obviously stunned stupid. 

"Ah... the perfect way to start the day..." he murmured woozily.

Sango huffed. "I'm glad I just waxed Hiraikotsu... you don't get that satisfying 'thud' with an untended weapon..." Though she was glaring at him, her face bright red, she was inwardly overjoyed that he had returned... obviously unharmed.

Kagome stirred the contents of her pot and beamed around at the group. "Breakfast is ready! After that, I think we should take off before Sango-chan concusses all of the male members of our group, ne?"

Sango spared Miroku one more glare before moving to accept her portion.

When everyone was well into their meal (and Miroku's bump had gone down considerably), Inuyasha asked something that the entire group was wondering. "Oi, monk? Where have you been?"

Miroku looked up at the hanyou and smiled. "Bathing," he responded simply, then continued eating.

Inuyasha surreptitiously sniffed the air. He confirmed Miroku's story; there was a definite scent of lake-water on his newly washed clothing... as well as something else that he couldn't place. It was faint, very faint. Shrugging, he shoveled down the rest of his food. "Let's go. The village isn't far."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Inuyasha gazed uneasily down the point of a sword that had materialized under his nose. 

Sango sighed. The suspicious type, huh? "We mean you no harm."

A young man stepped forward and lay his hand on the arm of the man who was holding Inuyasha at sword-point. "Wei, let them speak. They may have news." A cluster of men were behind the younger one who had just approached, but they didn't attack just then.

"You're sure, Sakai-sama?" Wei asked, not yet lowering his sword. When the man nodded, the sword dropped from Inuyasha's face and he sighed.

"Are we going to have to go through that _every_ time we go into a village?" Inuyasha grumbled. Kagome gave him a discreet kick in the shin.

The man who had been addressed as Sakai stepped in front of Wei and inclined his head to the group. His hair was short and deep brown, his eyes a penetrating sapphire. "I am Sakai Hiro. You must forgive the rudeness of our welcome, but there was a murder here last night."

"A murder?" Sango echoed. It didn't sound like good news to the group.

"Hai, she was one of my closest friends." Now that the group took a good look at him, they could note the signs of stress in his face. His eyes were rimmed with red, as if he had been crying, and his eyes sported dark circles, as if he had gotten no sleep the previous night. His mouth was quirked upward in a polite smile, but the rest of his face remained downcast. Hiro eyed Miroku with mild interest. "Are you a houshi?"

Miroku nodded. Something had stirred within him at the word 'murder', and he found himself desperately searching for his lost memories once more.

"Would it be too much trouble to ask you to say a few words over her? She-" Hiro's voice broke and he lowered his head for a moment. "She was taken from us in a most grievous way..."

"Hai. It is the least that I can do for your family."

Hiro smiled, a nearly genuine smile, and bowed again. "Please, follow me. On the way, you can explain why you have come to our village."

The guards tensed as Inuyasha sauntered by, but Hiro silenced them with a glance. Kirara had had the good sense to assume her smaller form before she had been seen, or surely she would have been targeted as well. Shippou was too small to be of any real threat, so it seemed to the guards, and he passed almost unnoticed.

The sun was now high in the sky, and the city wept.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

She lay on a futon, under a thin white sheet. Hiro immediately moved to the side of the body and kneeled. The tachi felt uneasy, as if they were trespassing on some private moment. The thought struck Sango that he had probably been her suitor...

The young man placed his hand on that of the dead girl and turned solemn and stricken eyes to the group. "She was found in the forest. Her parents believe that she was out searching for her pet rabbit."

Miroku gasped inwardly. 'It couldn't be...' Memories of how he'd found himself that morning came flooding back. The blood... the knife...

The dead rabbit...

His hands began to shake and he gripped his staff tighter to still the involuntary movements. His body tensed on its own as he grappled with fact and belief. 'No...'

Hiro continued, unaware of the monk's distress. "Do you truly think that the 'black phoenix' that you are hunting killed her?"

Sango slowly nodded. "It is a possibility. It is said to drink the blood of maidens."

'Drink... blood....' Miroku ran a hand across his face, almost as if he was afraid of finding a flake of dried blood that he had missed that morning.

And-

Nothing.

There was nothing.

Miroku remembered sleeping, he remembered waking, he remembered getting clobbered by Hiraikotsu. Hiro and Sango's words bounced off him. There was nothing to fear... he remembered exactly where he had been...

And inside, _it_ laughed. The minds of humans were so easily manipulated.

False memories were child's play to insert. Its strength was steadily growing...

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The group left Miroku inside to pray over the girl. They now stood at the side of the path, and Hiro was expressing his desire that they remain in the village, just in case there was another attack. Inuyasha scoffed at this, but Kagome and Sango nodded emphatically.

"We will remain," Sango affirmed. "It is our duty to destroy this thing."

All of the thanks that Hiro could muster didn't seem to be enough. He offered a way that they could pay for their lodging - patrolling at night to prevent any other attacks. Inuyasha scoffed again, but the girls agreed.

Inuyasha stared at them in disbelief. 

And so it was settled. The tachi would remain in the village, looking for any sign of the phoenix's return. 

Sakai Hiro remained unaware that he had just invited the fox to spend the night in the chicken coop.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Corisu Li: Mmmyeah. There you go! Review please! *puppy dog eyes* Oh, and the man's name: Sakai Hiro? I kinda stole it from Iron Chef! Sakai Hiroyuki is my favorite IC of all time! WHEEEEEE! *waves 'Iron Chef Furansu-jin' banners*

~*~*~*~*~*

****

Review Responses:

Stripe: Yesh, creepy... *diabolical laughter*

Letitia or Teesha: I knowww.... I'm a closet sadistic... *more diabolical laughter* "Going somewhere good with this"? Define 'good'. MWAHA!

Kitsune Bi 123: Well, you've caught up with me, and that's all that matters! ^_^ Blood and guts, wheeee!

GinHasa: ^___^ Everybody's beginning to *party* now! Fun! And loving to hurt Miroku? Of course not! *rereads 'Two Months'* Eheheheh... well, maybe?

LadyDi: Of course I'll continue! I'd never leave you guys in the dark... *begins to plot*

Kei: Well, the romance is coming... slowly but surely. There are just a few things to get out of the way first... *glares at the Phoenix and Kikyou*

SM Together: Here's your update!

Aamalie: Hmmm... *frowns* She's not coming into the fic as fast as I thought she would... but she will, eventually... *maniacal laughter*

Lily Thorne: That he is... *glares at him* Bad Houshi-sama! I made you do it, but still... bad!

Manofmanyfaces: Yes...death IS interesting, ne? And you're not the only one to think so... *recounts how many people mentioned DEATH!, blood, or related subjects in reviews*

HJO: @.@ Ow.... why do you always hurt me? Ne, whoops? I didn't even add it to my faves... maybe that's why I forgot... *laughs sheepishly* Well, I was up to 30 by then... *pouts* Well, tell me when you repost, and I'll pick up where I left off.

Vamps: Why would I do that to him? Mmm... because bishie torture is FUN! Hence the disclaimers! ^____^

Wakadori Ramen: What do you mean, unnecessary? WAAAIIIITTT... O.O;;;;; GAH! None of THAT!!! *cuffs you upside the head* HENTAI!!! Miroku: *pops up* Did someone mention me?

Preview of **Chapter 6: Blood on the Wind**

The light of the full moon gave them just enough light to make out something odd. One of the trees in front of them was undeniably dimmed. _Gray_.

A dark form was slumped against the ashen bark.

(Aamalie-chan, sorry... It's not HER... *is still plotting...MWAHAHA!!!*)


	6. Blood on the Wind

Corisu Li: *ahem* I've decided to move the disclaimer from 'Protect Me' to this fic, because more people seem to like this one, ne? ^^;;

Kunoichi: *sings* 'Twas brillig... and the slithy toves... did gyre and gimble in the wabe...

Corisu Li: *rolls eyes* Remind me never to let her watch 'Alice in Wonderland' again...

Kunoichi: All mimsy... were the borogoves... and the mome raths... outgrabe...

Corisu Li: Yeah. Well. *points to Kunoichi* I made the mistake of giving her a weapon...

Kunoichi: *while still humming 'Jabberwocky', holds up Whackin' Stick of Disintegration*

Corisu Li: To top it off, I kinda created a new universe when I gave her that. Quite the situation, really...

Kunoichi: *whacks Corisu's mug of hot cocoa, which promptly disappears*

Corisu Li: --;;; Not AGAIN...

Kunoichi: ^_____^

Disclaimer: I don't own Lay's Potato Chips. *holds up a bag* Well... I own _some_... but not the company.

****

Chapter 6: Blood on the Wind

Kagome was perched beside Inuyasha on top of Hiro's home, her knees drawn up to her chest. The building was beautiful, closely resembling the one where they had found Princess Tsuyu. The village was nearly silent, swimming in darkness as they kept up a quiet vigil, each in their own way. Inuyasha searched for intruders by physical means: sight, smell, scent, and hearing. Kagome, whose senses were not at all as sharp, forced herself to be aware of any abnormal power signatures.

The young miko slanted a glance at Inuyasha. The moon was full overhead, and his silver hair caught the moonlight, shimmering like silken strands of the same substance. He appeared to be deep in thought; his intense golden eyes were fixed on some point far away. A chilly night breeze ruffled the hair of the sentinels as they sat on in slightly uncomfortable silence.

Finally, Kagome spoke. "Ne, Inuyasha?" There was no reply. With a jolt, Kagome made a quite painful realization. 'He's thinking about her... Kikyou...' She turned away from him then, setting her chin between her knees. After a few more seconds, she tried again, a little louder. "Inuyasha?"

This time, the hanyou's ears twitched toward her. "What?" he asked gruffly, not even turning to face her.

"Have you... have you thought any more about that haiku that Sango told us about?"

Inuyasha still didn't turn his head toward her. "No."

Seeing that she wasn't going to get anything out of him but one-word sentences for now, she fell silent, trying not to look at the figure beside her. She occupied her mind by thinking about Miroku and Sango's slightly more eventful jobs. Sango was supposed to be scouring the murder scene, hoping to use her tracking skills to reveal the direction that the killer had come from, and possibly where he had gone. Inuyasha had visited the scene before, but he found himself unable to catch the scent of the attacker anywhere in the area, rendering his abilities fairly useless. Miroku was busy placing ofuda at strategic points around the village.

Kagome leaned back on her hands, shifting her balance carefully to prevent a fall. "You know what I think?"

"Feh."

Kagome sighed. "Are you going to say more than one word at a time tonight?"

"Mm." Kagome's eyebrow twitched in irritation. She fell silent once more, staring into the heavens as the stars blinked and winked overhead. They sat in silence for several more minutes. The wind changed direction, blowing toward them from the trees.

Then, abruptly, Inuyasha stood, his clothing rustling gently.

"Inuyasha? Daijoubu ka?"

"I smell blood." His eyes strained to see, but whatever it was was hidden behind the wall of foliage. "Come on." He knelt and she climbed onto his back, clasping her bow tightly in her left hand.

"Do you think it's the Phoenix?" Kagome asked as they quickly closed the distance to the edge of the forest. Suddenly, Inuyasha halted, foregoing a reply. He didn't need to answer her; she could see for herself.

The light of the full moon gave them just enough light to make out something odd. One of the trees in front of them was undeniably dimmed. _Gray_.

A dark form was slumped against the ashen bark.

Inuyasha quickly closed the remaining distance and let Kagome slide from his back. The body was that of a young girl, no more than six. Her head was bowed over her chest, still rising and falling with her breath, and proving that she still lived.

The blood was issuing from two identical gashes: One at the crook of each elbow. Though she wasn't dead, the wounds could prove fatal if she wasn't tended to immediately. "Inuyasha, we have to get her back to the village!" 

The hanyou quickly knelt and pulled the girl into his arms, trying not to disturb the cuts on her arms too much. When he finally straightened, he just stood for a while, looking off into the distance with an almost forlorn look on his face. He then began the trek back to the village, going much slower to prevent injuring the girl any further.

Kagome watched him depart, wondering at his odd behavior... then, quite suddenly, she understood. Upturning her face, she watched a lone shinidamachuu soar overhead, clutching a iridescent orb.

A single tear fell from her eye.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

It knelt over the moonlit water, practically leering at his reflection. How weak this form looked! Soft violet eyes, short, smooth black hair pulled back into a ponytail... pathetic. They would have to be altered, and soon. But... not just yet.

One of the group seemed to be catching on. The taijiya... she seemed to notice that the monk was acting differently. 'How is he acting differently?' it mused, absently loosening the ponytail at the nape of its neck.

Ah. Better. Not much, but an improvement.

It dipped the blade of its beloved knife into the small stream, allowing the flowing current to remove the stains from it.

A beautiful blade. Nothing of the ningen world could match its power. It was a spectral knife, and Phoenix was the only being who knew how to summon it. Pure evil, solidified.... Its cut would leave no scent of the attacker, making it the perfect weapon. The blade would hide from those who were not its master. Also, it shared the desire of the wielder, and one never lived when it decided to kill.

Tonight... tonight was entertainment. The girl would live. It was well fed, and didn't need her. Perhaps later. 

The cold metal gleamed as it was dried on the hem of Phoenix's robes. Smiling maliciously, he tucked it back into his robes and stood.

Strength flowed through it. It wouldn't be long before it took control... but until then, the houshi needed to be supplied with false memories, false alibis... It smirked, then faded.

Miroku blinked. 'What am I-' But before he could even finish the thought, he caught sight of an ofuda plastered to a nearby tree. Relaxing when he remembered his mission, he continued laying an aura of protection around the city.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"Sakai-san!" Kagome began calling for the man as she rushed toward his home, well ahead of Inuyasha and the child. "Sakai-san!"

Finally, a familiar brown-haired head poked out of the front door. "Kagome-miko-sama? What is troubling you?"

"There has been another attack! I need my bag!" Hiro had to swiftly step aside as Kagome rushed past him, heading for the room that had been set aside for her and Sango.

As soon as she entered, Shippou snuffled in his sleep and awoke. Kagome realized that he was wrapped in one of her shirts and snuggled in the covers of her futon. "Kagome?"

"Go back to sleep, Shippou-chan," she said firmly, pulling her first-aid kit from her bag.

The kit fully awakened at the sight of the 'healing box', as he sometimes called it. Now he wasn't going back to sleep for sure! He scurried after Kagome as she strode back down the hall towards the entrance. 

Hiro had instructed Inuyasha to lay the girl on a futon in a guest room that was close to the door, trying to avoid moving her unnecessarily. Her skin was already paling, and her breaths were becoming ragged. Kagome entered the room, not sparing a glance to any of the male occupants as she knelt beside the prone child.

The wounds were already beginning to close, but Kagome needed to clean them - very carefully. Hiro had obviously had a bit of training as a healer, because he had a pot of water ready for her, sitting beside the futon. She spared him a grateful smile before dipping a piece of cloth into the water and beginning to bathe the girl's cuts.

Shippou watched, wide-eyed, from the door as Kagome tended the cuts with some foul-smelling substance that she called 'rubbing alcohol' and wrapped the girl's wounds securely.

When the task was done, she turned to Hiro, a troubled look on her face. "I think it would be best if we tried to locate Sango and Miroku now... Maybe they saw something."

Hiro nodded. "I understand. After I tell this girl's parents of what has happened, I shall inform everyone that no person is to venture out alone, under any circumstances."

"Especially the girls," she added, standing and glancing back at the young child. Already, she had fallen into a natural sleep; color was steadily returning to her face. "Inuyasha, can you find the others?" Kagome put the first-aid kit in the corner of the room and stepped to the door, bending down and picking up Shippou. She didn't look back at the hanyou.

"Feh. Of course I can. Sango's not far, and Miroku-" he frowned. In the short time that they had been in the forest, he should have caught some hint of the monk... but he hadn't. "-should be close by, too," he finished.

"Shippou, stay here. Inuyasha?" Kagome set the squirming and protesting kitsune down and stepped outside, turning to Inuyasha to urge him to hurry. He flinched slightly at the look on her face. She was angry about something... or hurt. 

Instead of acting on this knowledge, he snorted and followed her out of the house, frowning when she made no move to climb onto his back once more. "Oi, wench! What's your problem?"

Kagome turned her head to the east, away from the woods where they had found the child. It had been nagging vaguely at her mind all day, but now she was sure. It had been faint, so faint, in fact, that she had thought that it was too far away to bother about at the moment. But now, it was being used.

"I sense a jewel shard..."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Corisu Li: ^___^ Wicked place to end a chapter... and NOW what are they going to do? They can't chase a jewel shard AND protect Sakai-san's village at the same time, ne?

Kunoichi: *whacks Inu's ears with the Whackin' Stick of Disintegration (WSOD)*

Corisu Li: O.O;;; What have you DONE!?!!

Fangirls: *appear out of nowhere* NUUUU!!!! The object of my affections! MUTILATED!

Inuyasha: WHAAAAT? *blinks around in confusion*

Fangirl # 49: How DARE you! You have insulted his bishiness by removing a lust factor!

Kunoichi: Uh. Oops?

Corisu Li: Calm down, girls. We just have to retrieve them from Choco-space...

Fangirls: WHAT??!?!?!

Inu: WHAAAAT?

Corisu Li: It's where things that get hit with the WSOD go. *whips out the Scythe of Inter-Dimensional Travel* And this will get us there! *blinks around at fangirls, drops scythe, pegs them all with the dart gun in 0.0004 seconds, and picks scythe back up* There. Now, I need reinforcements. No way I'm going in alone!

Kunoichi: But who? Who?

Corisu Li: I know! *snaps fingers and Aamalie appears*

Aamalie: What have you done now? *glares at Kunoichi*

Corisu Li: --;;; She whacked Inu's ears.

Aamalie: *gasps* Oh, the horror!

Inu: WHAAAAT?

Corisu Li: *sighs and pegs him with the tranq gun* I was getting sick of that.

Aamalie: Well... *looks around at KO'ed fangirls and sighs* Should we get going? We have to find those ears!

Corisu Li: *raises Scythe and cuts a rip in the air* Go on!

Kunoichi: WHEEE! Field trip! *goes into Chocospace*

Aamalie: *does a back handspring through the rip*

Corisu Li: --;;;; Show-off. *blinks at reader*Well? Aren't you going, too? After all, we must see how this turns out... You may want to check the bottom of my bio for facts on my various weapons... And don't forget to review! *leaps through rip, beckoning for you to follow*

~*~*~*~*~*

****

Review Responses:

Nishigirl: I'm so glad that you enjoyed my fics! I agree, the killing can be sort of extreme at times, but I don't think I'll go into such detail again... well, maybe... ^^;

David: Thank you! I'm glad you liked Protect Me (indeed, one of the few who did), but I couldn't write for it anymore. I was drawing a complete blank and I didn't want to write a half-hearted fic, so I had to let it go.

Kyoko Kasshu Minamino: WAAH! No more MALLETS! I'm updating as fast as I can! Weeell... maybe not as fast as I can... *runs from UPDATE FASTER!!!! mallet*

Kitsune Bi 123: Wheee! Yes, torture is quite fun! And you'll never be able to steal the plans for the story! I have hidden them in the most secret of places! Mwaha- Miroku: You mean in the- Corisu: *covers his mouth* Eheh. That was the Phoenix talking... Ignore Houshi-sama here...

HJO: I see that it's up... and there was something about an illegal lemon that got it deleted? *raises eyebrow* Hmm... BAD Heather! *cracks whip and throws mallets* ^______^ I always wanted to do that...

SM Together: Hmm... I'm not quite sure. I think I can wrap it up in 12-14 chapters, but I'm not sure yet. Hopefully, you'll stick with me though, ne?

Kei: o.O;;; So...many...emotions... ^___^ You're weird! You remind me of Kuno-chan! Kunoichi: -.-; What's that supposed to mean? Corisu: ^^ *looks over her shoulder and screams* Samara, NUUUUUUU!!!! *runs around screaming her head off*

Aamalie: *nods sagely* That she must! And she will... mwaha... *pokes thrice* I wanna update to ST! Gimmeeeeee... *begins to whine and tug at your sleeve like an annoying little sister... who is older than you... ^_^*

Wakadori Ramen: Whew... *wipes brow* I was afraid of you for a moment there! Thanks for the kindness!

Lily Thorne: ACK! Nu! No... glomping... authoress... WAH! Inu-chan, get her off me! Inu: ^___^ Nope! Corisu: *sweatdrops* You don't know HOW weird it is for Inu-chan to go "^___^" *blinks in amazement for a few more seconds* Thanks for the review!

Kin103: Here's your update! Hope you liked!

Shateiel: Thank you! And as for Sakai-san, yes, he does kick butt! I've never seen him beaten! Or... maybe I'm having mental blackouts... it's one of the two. ^_____^

~*~*~*~*~*

Preview of **Chapter 7: The Tachi Splits**

The youkai whirled around, bearing its large fangs and snarling...... In its clutches, it held a girl, not much younger than Kagome.

Inuyasha blinked in recognition. "It's that wench who wanted to bear the bouzu's child..."

"Koharu..." Kagome breathed.

~*Please Review!*~


	7. The Tachi Splits

Corisu Li: *looks around as a cup of hot cocoa goes floating by, the steam spelling out "I don't own Inuyasha"*

Kunoichi: *dramatic voice* Welcome... to Chocospace!!! Dun dun dun...

Aamalie: *points* What's that?

(A huge white building is in the distance.)

Corisu Li: That's the House of OOC-ness. It pretty much is the reason that none of those weird things that we make characters do in fics happen in canon.

Aamalie: Hmm... I see... *takes off toward it*

Corisu Li: AAH! Wait!

(Too late. The door bursts wide open as Aamalie touches it.)

Corisu Li: Maaaaaarvelous...

Sesshoumaru: *steps out of the rubble of the door and looks at the trio*

Aamalie: *folds arms* Not my Sess-chan. No wedding ring. -_-;

OOC!Sess: *does the Snoopy dance* ^____________________________________^

Aamalie: *steps back* The horror... the horror...

Kunoichi: *joins in the Snoopy dance* ^_^

Corisu Li: Well, you let him out... you get rid of him!

Aamalie: *is in shock, watching OOC!Sess dance*

Sesshoumaru: *steps up beside her* I do not approve of the image he is giving me... *beheads OOC!Sess with his shouki whip*

Aamalie: Phweeeeeeeeee! *uber-glomps*

Sesshou: *sighs*

Corisu Li: Well, it should be fine as long as-

(In a huge dust cloud, a dozen characters storm out of the House of OOC-ness and vanish into the depths of Chocospace.)

Corisu Li: -THAT... doesn't happen... --;;;; WHAT, exactly, is with crazed things being released in my disclaimers?!?!

Kunoichi: *shrugs* Just lucky, I guess!

Chapter 7: The Tachi Splits

"A... a jewel shard? You sure?" Inuyasha looked around on impulse, as if expecting to see the faint pink glow of a shard in the vicinity.

"Positive. It's not very far. Another village, most likely-"

Kagome's response was cut off as Inuyasha grabbed her upper arm and began to drag her away from Hiro's home. A few seconds passed, then: "Inuyasha?"

"What, wench?"

"Do you even know where you're going?"

Inuyasha paused for a moment, then turned to look back at her. The scowl on his face told her all that she needed to know. 

"Inuyasha, we can't just leave! We promised Sakai-san that we'd help protect this village, and we will."

The hanyou stubbornly folded his arms. "Since when did protecting ningens become more important than finding the Shikon shards?"

Kagome blinked. 'He has a point...'

At this moment, a figure burst from the trees behind them. Inuyasha tensed for a fight, but relaxed when Sango trotted into the pale light that emanated from the windows of the nearby house. 

"What's going on?" she inquired as she came within speaking range. Kirara emerged from the woods a moment later and stepped up beside the trio. "I met Sakai-san on my way to find you two. He told me that there has been another attack."

"Hai, there has." Kagome sighed. "But first, why were you looking for us, Sango-chan?"

"I wanted to tell you all that there's no point in searching the site any longer. All I've been able to confirm is that the killer is human by the one footprint that I was able to find, and that fact is not even certain. It could be a youkai in human form." 

"The Phoenix," Kagome supplied. Sango nodded gravely, then looked around as if she was confused.

"Where is Houshi-sama?"

Inuyasha looked up at her when she voiced this question. 'I still haven't caught a whiff of the bouzu all night! He'd have no reason to wander out of range, would he?' He opened his mouth to tell the girls of this strange phenomena, but relaxed when he caught the hurricane-like scent of the monk nearby. "He's coming."

Sure enough, Miroku stepped into their little circle seconds later, sporting a cheery grin. "Hello. Did I miss something?"

Kirara hissed and growled slightly, glaring murderously at the monk. Sango shushed the neko while Inuyasha raised an eyebrow.

"There's been another attack, Miroku-sama," Kagome responded, trying to drown out Kirara's snarls.

Miroku's grin collapsed in on itself and became a thin line. "Is the victim..."

Kagome gestured toward the house behind them. "She's fine. However..." she scuffed her toe in the dirt. "There's a jewel shard nearby, and I can sense that it's being used. We need to go after it."

Sango echoed the girl's earlier sentiments. "But we offered our services to this village... What if someone is slain while we are away?"

Miroku stepped closer to Sango and draped an arm over her shoulder, being careful to keep his hands away from forbidden territory... for once. "Perhaps Sango and I should stay here while you two search for the shard."

Sango looked suspiciously at the monk's hand, then at the owner of that hand, but he didn't flinch. He just flashed a bright smile and looked back at Kagome and Inuyasha for their response.

Inuyasha shrugged. "Sounds like a plan to me."

Kagome frowned slightly. "What if the youkai that holds it is too powerful for us?"

Miroku's girn stretched. "Kagome-sama, the only being that will possibly require all of us to beat him is Naraku-"

"And then, only because he keeps calling up so many minions... coward..." Inuyasha muttered.

"- and you only sense one shard, correct?"

Kagome nodded, looking eastward once more. "You're right. We should separate."

With the decision made, Inuyasha allowed the girl to climb onto his back once more. "If anything goes wrong, send Kirara to get us." When he received nods from the two humans that stood beside him, the hanyou took off in the direction that Kagome had indicated.

Sango glanced back toward Hiro's house. "One of us should keep watch over the girl. It's possible that the killer... may... come... back..." Sango closed her eyes and mentally counted to three. Imagining it? Nope. Still there. But of course, his hand had merely _slipped_...

"HENTAI!" 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Kikyou lifted her head and stared searchingly into the distance. "A jewel shard," she murmured to herself, lowering her body from her perch and landing softly. "And Inuyasha is going after it..." 

Her robes and hair rustled slightly in the wind as three shinidamachuu descended. The first coiled around her torso and the remaining two wound around her legs. She was then lifted from the ground, securely held by her faithful soul-gatherers.

"Inuyasha... You usually would have come running at the first hint of my presence. I trust that you have not forgotten about my vow. You will accompany me to Hell, and we will rest together there..."

The shinidamachuu quickly bore her toward the pulsing aura that was the distant jewel shard.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

He walked with a purpose. No... _it_ walked with a purpose. It was travelling the same path that Kagome and Inuyasha had taken only minutes before. The young miko was leaving. Although this situation meant that it was left alone with another virgin maiden, this... Sango, she was likely to put up more of a fight than the other.

Or maybe there was another reason?

No. The miko had been chosen first. She would be the one that it followed. She must stay within range. 

As it walked, it became aware that its thought patterns were erratic. This was foolishness, following the young miko instead of taking the taijiya first.

Then, it became aware of the crunching of leaves.

It could practically see her following... hiding behind trees and peering from behind the trunks, waiting for the moment when it was safe to advance... Smirking slightly, it waited until she ducked behind a tree, then slipped into the forest to the right of the path.

It heard her mutter a curse as she found the one that she had been following missing from the path. She crept forward nonetheless, not bothering to hide any longer. When she passed its hiding place, it stepped out behind her, making no sound.

It followed her closely, fully appreciating the way she eased forward cautiously, but she was no match for centuries of experience. 

It paused.

__

Why follow her? Kill her! Kill her!

Though the monk was locked deep within his own mind, the body made no effort to strike the girl. Instead, it spoke. "May I ask why you were following me, Sango-san?"

Sango jumped and whirled around, eyes wide. "Uh... I saw you from the window while I was watching over the girl. I wondered where you were going since you were supposed to be guarding the front gates-"

"Wouldn't it have been easier to call out for me?"

The young woman flinched. "Maybe."

It let a laugh through, a genuine one, and it was rewarded with a smile from the taijiya. _I have gained her trust... _"To tell you the truth, I was following Inuyasha and Kagome. Though we're searching for m- the Phoenix, we haven't had much time to loosen our muscles in a good fight." It took a deep breath to recover from that damn Freudian slip. "I did not wish to be left out."

Sango sighed. "I know what you mean..." She cast a furtive glance in each direction, then whistled softly. A bristling Kirara stepped from the trees, her eyes trained on the Phoenix. It grinned at her, and she let loose a warning snarl.

"Kirara, calm down. Well, like I was saying, I know what you mean. I think we could go to the village, help out in the fight, and be back before anyone here notices our absence."

It smiled again. Everything was working out perfectly... "That is a perfect plan, Sango-san. I'll run, however. I don't think Kirara is too fond of me at the moment." Its tone hinted at the 'incident' earlier, and Sango accepted this explanation for the neko's behavior, leaping onto the youkai's back.

Within minutes, the two were off.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Kagome was correct; the village in which the jewel shard was located was not very far from Sakai's home at all. It only took a few minutes of travel before Inuyasha could hear the screams of those being attacked, and only a few more before Kagome could hear them for herself. When they exited the woods, they found themselves on the top of a steep hill. In the large valley below, a large village was nested.

And a large youkai stood in the midst of it.

Inuyasha quickly began to cover the remaining distance, alternately taking huge bounds and series of quick running steps. As they got closer, they began to mentally evaluate the youkai that they would be fighting.

He was large, but not intimidatingly so. In fact, his size led them to believe that he wasn't too bright. His movements were those of a crazed youkai, not one on a mission. 

The youkai's skin was covered with reddish scales, and a shock of black hair sprouted from his head like a miniature explosion. His elongated fangs stretched to the tip of his chin; his claws were even longer.

As the pair closed the distance, Kagome began to focus more and more on the youkai's hands, and he became aware of the fact that he was holding something... something that looked like a human body.

Inuyasha had obviously noticed as well. He set Kagome down a safe distance away, then leapt (in typical Inuyasha fashion) into the path of destruction that was being left behind the rampaging youkai.

"Oi! Put her down and fight me, you slimebag!"

The youkai whirled around, bearing its large fangs and snarling. Its eyes glittered with the hatred behind them, but they were definitely not the eyes of an intelligent creature. In its clutches, it held a girl, not much younger than Kagome.

Inuyasha blinked in recognition. "It's that wench who wanted to bear the bouzu's child..."

"Koharu..." Kagome breathed from the spot where Inuyasha had left her.

The girl was squirming in the youkai's grasp and yelling, "Let me go!", as if she thought that it would make any difference.

Inuyasha quickly weighed his options. He could attack the thing, but he could also hurt Koharu by doing so. On the other hand, if he waited too long, the youkai could tire of the girl's yells and drop her - or worse.

Kagome had realized Inuyasha's plight only seconds after he did. 'Well, miko energy shouldn't harm her!' She notched an arrow and aimed carefully.

The hanyou was on the verge of screaming, "Forget the human! DIE!", when a streak of pink light lanced toward the youkai. It didn't hit, but it was close enough to char the skin of the lumbering creature. It let out a pained yowl, losing its concentration on Inuyasha.

That was all he needed. With a yell, he threw himself at the youkai, ripped Tetsusaiga from its sheath, and quickly separated its arm from the rest of its body.

Only then did he realize his mistake.

Normally, during fights, either Sango or Miroku was close enough to handle any innocent victims. At the moment, neither was present, and there was no way that Inuyasha could double back in time, having taken a huge bound to launch his attack.

Koharu plummeted toward the ground, too terrified to scream.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

(Corisu, Aamalie, and Kunoichi take this moment to do a brief cliffie dance.)

~* Back In Chocospace *~

Aamalie: *groans* HOW many are there again?

Kunoichi: Well, there's OOC!Kagome, Yasha-kun, Kouga, hm... we got OOC!Sess... but there's Kikyou-

(Two figures dressed in blue and black tumble from an rip shaped like a honeybun. Everyone stares.)

Corisu Li: O.O;; Uh... who are you?

Kei: I'm Kei! And this is Aki!

Aki: *waves merrily*

Corisu Li: *shakes head* Ooookay... well, how the HECK did you get here?

Kei: *holds up a copy of the Scythe of Inter-Dimensional Travel* With this.

Aamalie: O.O Where did you get that? More importantly, why don't _I_ have one?

Kei: *shrugs* I have talent.

Sesshou: Let us get to the point. What are you doing here?

Kei and Aki: *strike heroic poses* We're here to.... *v-sign* ...find those EARS! ^___^

Corisu Li: As if things weren't weird enough ALREADY...

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

****

Review Responses:

AnImEmAnIaC3: (man, your name is a pain to type!) Aw... you're so kind... and enthusiastic! Thank you!

fire feline: Well, I don't think I'm making him look like an idiot. Keep in mind that Phoenix is steadily erasing any suspicious memories. Miroku probably would have told the others what had happened if Mr. Phoenix hadn't suppressed the memories.

Kyoko Kasshu Minamino: ^____^ *wiggles nose and lights flicker back on* Baka... you should learn to control that! ^^;; You're odd. Hey, I finished the Anita Blake novel... COOLNESS! *glomps* Thanks for letting me borrow!

Kei: ^_^ Well, you asked for it! Now you must help us find those ears! Thanks for your enthusiasm!

Stripe: Yes... I am quite evil at times, huh? *cackles* Thank you for the review!

HJO: *laughs maniacally* Now you know how _I_ felt! ^^;;; You bad citrusy person...lol... I'm kidding. Whatever floats your boat1 AAH! *ducks green whip and dashes away from diamond mallet* Why does everyone try to HURT MEEE?!?!

Kin103: You know, you're the third (so far) to tell me that I'm evil... *shrugs* You can't all be wrong, huh? ^____^ Thanks for the feedback!

Kawaii houshi: I'm glad to hear that! I was really trying to be original with this plot, and it's nice to know that you like it.

Nishigirl: Sooo... you wonder what will happen when they find out? Eheh... heh... mwaha... *goes into gales of evil laughter* You will discover that little fact... verrrrry soon. That is, unless I get swamped by work again. @.@

Aamalie: *THUD* Waaaaah! Stop DOING that! -.-;; Meanie. Hmm.. a long chapter for you, huh? ^_____^ Yesss! *yells MAGIC after patching the hole in the ceiling with duct tape* O.O;; Dominoes? Weapons? Meep. *dashes off*

Lily Thorne: ^^;; True... he can't hear now... but it's rather funny to watch. Inu: WHAAAT? Corisu: *hits him with another dart* ;; Or annoying... take your pick.

Wakadori Ramen: ^_______________^ I love 'Jabberwocky'! Probably because it makes about as much sense as _I _do. XD Yup... inner battles ahoy! Although it'll probably be Inu first... *claps hand over mouth* O.O I should NOT have said that... Thanks for the nice, long review! ^^

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Preview of **Chapter 8: One and the Same**

Her cold fingertips brushed his face and his eyes shone..........

A scream rang out from the village, shrill in the cold night air.

(I can't say much, or I'll give it away!)

~* Review, or may ye be plagued by the Crumple-Horned Snorkacks!! Everyone says that they don't exist! But they keep them in the research facilities for PRIVATE USE! I shall free them, and enlist the aid of Luna Lovegood to realize my dream!! I declare myself president of BOTS: Bring Out The Snorkacks! Ahem. I think it may be time to get some _sleep_ now... *~


	8. One and the Same

Corisu Li: -.-; Why are you doing that?

Aki and Kunoichi: *are glomping OOC!Inuyasha and OOC!Kouga, repectively* BISHIES!!!

Corisu Li: *sighs* That's NOT what we're here for!

Aki: But they'd never do this in real life!

Kunoichi: And how can we kill something so cuuuute? *pinches Kouga's cheeks*

OOC!Kouga: ^___^

Aamalie: *groans and pokes OOC!Kouga* Aren't you supposed to be in love with _Kagome_?

OOC!Kouga: Who's Kagome? Stupid name...

Kei: O.O;;

Corisu Li: And there it is... his OOCness. He doesn't know Kagome...

OOC!Inuyasha: Ooh! Did you say Kagome? Kagome's the best ever! *goes on a 'Why I love Kagome' rant*

Aki: O.O;;;; *steps away*

Kunoichi: ^^; 

Sesshou: They are both beginning to irk me. *lashes out at OOC!Inu with his whip - and it rebounds, doing no damage*

Aamalie: o.O I don't think that's supposed to happen...

Kei: *hefts a Hiraikostu copy* HYAH! *tries to slay OOC!Kouga... to no avail*

Corisu Li: I think I know what's going on...

Aamalie: ...?

Kei: ...?

Kunoichi: ...?

Aki: ...?

Sesshou: *glares*

Aamalie: CORISU!

Corisu Li: Huh? Oh, yeah! ^^;;; I think that only their counterpart can slay them!

Kei: And that means that we have to bring the REAL Kouga and Inuyasha here?

Corisu Li: You got it!

Aamalie: *shrugs* Let's do it. I'm interested in seeing a deaf Inu kill himself... ^_^;

Kunoichi: *snatches the Scythe, cuts a portal back to the real world, and goes through. Seconds later, Kouga and Inuyasha appear in Chocospace with the others, in a heap*

Kouga: What happened? Last thing I remember was a crazy wench running up to me and hitting me with a stick...

Kunoichi: *steps back through rip, which seals behind her, with WSOD in one hand and the Scythe in the other* Done!

Inu: WHAT?

Corisu Li, Kei, and Aki: --; This is going to be a pain...

****

Chapter 8: One and the Same

Kikyou stood in the shelter of the trees, her eyes fixed on her reincarnation and Inuyasha. They were doing battle with a particularly imbecilic youkai; it was obviously no match for the hanyou.

Her eyes widened slightly when Inuyasha threw himself at the lumbering shape. 'He wouldn't...'

As the girl began to fall, Kikyou made a forward motion as if to reveal herself, but before she could, a black shape blew by her, ruffling her hair forward as it moved. 'What was that?'

She then heard a larger form crashing through the trees and moved out of sight, trusting that the youkai that she sensed was more focussed on the battle than on her. She was correct; the neko and its rider overtook her and bounded toward the large demon.

Kikyou watched the newcomers move. 'There is no need for me to intervene. Tonight, Inuyasha.' She then turned and strode deeper into the forest, disappearing into its dense foliage.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Koharu's breath caught in her throat as she felt the air rushing over her body. A morbid thought surfaced; what if she suffocated before she even reached the ground?

Her eyes were wide, staring up at the sky above her. She heard the cry of another female somewhere near, but she couldn't discern any of the words. She felt only the air, and the inevitability of her death.

The ground had to be close - she had been falling for too long. Any second now, any second-

She abruptly came in contact with something soft and warm. As she realized that the danger was past, she blinked and gazed up at her savior.

"Miroku-sama!"

It landed effortlessly, then looked disdainfully at the girl in its arms. 'Why was I so opposed to letting her perish?' It quickly scanned Miroku's memories, then muttered, "Are you hurt, Koharu?" It set the girl on her feet and waited for a response.

Her watery eyes were wide as she shook her head slowly. "I'm... fine."

"Good," it replied, before turning back to the battle. All the while, it felt the will of the monk weakening.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Sango just stared, unable to do anything else for the moment. 'Since when does Houshi-sama move so swiftly?' This thought alone seemed to awaken other suspicions in her mind. There were plenty of times when he acted completely out of character... then he'd grope her to make up for it.

Sango frowned. 'Perhaps he's hiding something?' Worry knawed slightly at her heart and mind, and she glanced over at the object of her speculation.

His eyes were directly on her, and there was something disturbing in his glance. Her mind failed to produce a word to describe the feeling thrumming through the bridge between their eyes, but if she had to guess...

It looked like hunger.

A prickle ran up her spine, and Miroku averted his gaze. Immediately, she began to chide herself. 'I'm imagining things! It's nerves, that's all!' She shifted her shoulders and drew Hiraikotsu from her back. "Kirara!" she cried, and the two raced toward the wounded youkai to lend aid to Inuyasha.

The hanyou was staring at Miroku as Sango had been doing, but for a completely different reason. His brain kept replaying the scenario of the previous two minutes (Minutes? It felt like hours...). 

He saw Koharu plummeting toward the ground.

He saw Kagome's panicked expression as her mouth formed into a small 'o' of shock.

Then he saw, quite abruptly, the lumbering youkai's remaining hand swinging across his line of vision, connecting with his chest. Inuyasha grunted in half-pain, half-anger as he flew backward. When he slammed into the ground, he cracked his eyes open to watch the severed arm twitch, then reattatch itself to the stump at the youkai's shoulder.

The jewel shard. "Kuso!"

Sango appeared on the scene then, but the large boomerang had no effect on the tough hide of her opponent. It served, however, to draw his attention from Inuyasha, who drew himself to his feet, dirtied but otherwise okay.

"Kagome! Where's the shard?" he called to the wide-eyed miko.

She visibly shook herself, recovering from her shock from the quick turn of the situation. "The middle of the chest!" she called back, her hands clasped in front of her.

Meanwhile, Sango had found the thing's weak point - its eyes. Even though the flesh healed every time she attacked, it was distracted enough to allow Inuyasha to leap forward and sink Tetsusaiga deep into the flesh of its chest.

A anguished cry burst from the youkai's throat, but it went unnoticed by the hanyou, who leaned his weight into the fang and side-swiped it out of the beast's body, freeing the jewel shard. Immediately, the youkai's flesh disintegrated into ash and floated away on the gentle wind.

As Kagome retrieved the shard and added it to their growing collection, Koharu came out of her shock. She threw her arms around Miroku's waist. "You saved me! Thank you!"

It panicked at the contact, shuddering at the touch of the girl. Shoving the true monk back to the forefront, it retreated, promising that the next time it gained control, it would never relinquish it again.

Miroku blinked in confusion before the memories from the Phoenix were released. "You are welcome, Koharu."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Night fell on the small village. Inuyasha had gone into an extended rant about Miroku and Sango leaving the village, then was silenced when Kagome reminded him that if they hadn't shown up, Koharu would be dead. 

Koharu had explained her new home in that village, far from the one where they had first found her. The family that the others had left her with were visiting family members, taking her along. "I've been getting along fine," she concluded thoughtfully, "though I'm not betrothed as of yet." At this, she cast a meaningful glance at Miroku, who averted his gaze.

Sango fumed.

After his outburst, Inuyasha had disappeared. Kagome had a pretty good idea of where he'd gone; she'd seen another shinidamachuu as they entered the home of Koharu's 'relatives'. The kindly couple had been more than willing to offer lodging to the girl's saviors.

A sigh worked its way from Kagome's lungs as she joined Sango, who was speaking with the owners of the house. Once engaged in pleasant conversation, no one noticed Koharu and Miroku slipping silently out of a back door.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Koharu was pleasantly excited, wondering what in the world Miroku could want to talk about. 'Perhaps he saw my meaning when I said that I wasn't engaged?' At this thought, she hugged herself tightly, grinning and turning her eyes to the monk, who was a few paces in front.

Her grin faltered a small bit when he turned and led her into the forest, but she didn't protest his movements, closing the distance between them and glancing around cautiously, as if expecting something to leap out at them. She consoled herself quickly, thinking, 'If he wants privacy, it must be something very important, ne?'

It was quite a while before Miroku halted and turned back to her. "Koharu..." he whispered softly, then pulled her into a gentle hug, holding her close.

"Mi- Miroku-sama?" A blush rushed into her cheeks.

"I'm sorry..." he whispered into her hair, then drove his concealed knife deep into her abdomen.

It berated itself bitterly as the girl let out a loud scream. It quickly clapped a hand over her mouth, but the damage was done. The humans might not have heard, but the damned hanyou...

The girl in his arms was squirming as if her life depended on it - and indeed, it did. Her hands were clawing and scratching, trying to pull away. Even though it had experienced this sort of reaction before, it found its motions sluggish, as if it were slightly reluctant to move. The realization came like a flash of lightning. 'The monk!' It had been so sure that he was nearly gone that it had let its guard down. 'I will banish him... with this feed...'

It shoved Koharu to the ground; she connected with a groan and lay still. It wasn't fooled. Phoenix knelt over her, pressing his knee to her stomach wound and bringing the knife to her throat. "Do not scream."

Koharu's eyes widened as she realized his intentions, and large tears dropped from the corners of her eyes and rolled into her hair. "Lord Miroku... why?"

Phoenix scoffed. "I am not the monk that you cry for." It would have said more, but in a surprising show of strength, the girl bowed her back and brought her neck away from the knife, then shoved her hands upward as if to push its form off of her body. One of her small hands flitted inside his robes and came in contact with something papery. In her panic, she clutched it tightly.

She was still clutching it as Phoenix slit her throat and lowered its head to feed once more.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Inuyasha had smelled the earthen aroma of Kikyou from the time he'd taken care of the shard-wielding youkai. The desire to see her had affected his mood, causing him to snap out at the monk and the taijiya when he saw them there, without contemplating the good points of their arrival. When night fell, he finally set out to find her.

It didn't take long. She had been waiting for him at the edge of the trees. "Inuyasha." She gave him a long gaze, but said no more.

"Kikyou... Why are you here?"

The undead miko stepped within arm's length of the hanyou and lifted her hand. Her cold fingertips brushed his face and his eyes shone. "You are forgetting me, Inuyasha. It is as if you do not remember your promise to me."

Inuyasha immediately began to protest. "I didn't forget, Kikyou! I promised to protect you, and I will. You never should have died..." This last was nearly whispered.

Kikyou's eyes softened slightly. "Inuyasha, you don't deserve the pain that you feel. Please, come with me..." She curled her arms around his neck and met his eyes, a molten gold. His head dipped as if to kiss her, but he halted at the sound on the wind.

A scream rang out from the village, shrill in the cold night air. No... it was beyond the village... in the woods!

Inuyasha's mind cleared suddenly and he backed out of Kikyou's embrace. "I can't..." he whispered. "I'm needed here." With that, he took off in the direction of the cry.

Kikyou just stared after him, then scoffed bitterly. 'Despite what he says, he is slowly distancing himself from me. His love is dwindling... and the feelings for the reincarnation are growing.' Seconds later, the edge of the forest was deserted. Kikyou was gone once more.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Sango's head shot up. "Did you hear something, Kagome-chan?"

Kagome looked puzzled, then shook her head. The motion cast her gaze around the room, and she realized that it was suddenly very empty. "Where's Koharu and Miroku?"

The taijiya's stomach gave an agitated twist. The two had left together? She failed to think up a scenario that she liked. Then - 

__

~*"What are you ogling, fool wench?"*~

__

~*"Why did you cover your ears, Sango?" 

"Ne? It's silly, but the thing's soul is said to enter one's body through the ears."

"Ridiculous," Miroku muttered.

"What?" Kagome frowned at him.

The monk blinked. "Nothing..."*~

__

~*"Ah. Sango-san. Perhaps you could remove Kirara from me? Then, I can leave you all in peace while I discover how I came to be here." 

Sango raised an eyebrow. "Who are you trying to fool? You came here to spy on us."

"Well... that was my original intention... but I was sure that I hadn't come this close."*~

__

~*The group had awoken that morning to find Miroku missing... 

..."I am Sakai Hiro. You must forgive the rudeness of our welcome, but there was a murder here last night."*~

Sango leapt to her feet and cursed. 'Please be wrong...' she pleaded, before saying, "I think Koharu is in trouble!" She bolted from the hut without giving an explanation.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Corisu Li: Waiiiiiii! Long chapter!!! I just couldn't stop. I actually wanted to do more, but I decided to stop here. I'm very tired... Adventures In Chocospace will resume next chapter! Oh, and this chappie is dedicated to Aamalie, who's been asking for Koharu's death since the first chapter of this story... ^________^

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

****

Review Responses:

Aamalie: Yes... you ranted about dominoes... o.O;;; But it's okay. I do much weirder stuff... like breathe. What's up with that? *blinks* NUU! *runs frantically and dives under a table from the onslaught of lead balls*

Stripe: I do leave an awful lot of cliffhangers, huh? Hopefully this one wasn't as bad. Glad you liked!

Wakadori Ramen: *looks up* Sooo.. was it a tense chappie? And you got the death that you were waiting for! *small party* Ne, Koharu, cute? Grrr... *pokes you* Let's not go there, shall we?

Kin103: Yup! Cliffie is my middle name. Well, not really, but you get the idea. Was this chapter ASAP enough for you? (Heh. Probably not.)

Lily Thorne: Hmm.. I guess that could be a choice! *winces* Eeeee... but I must leave cliffies! It's in my blood! Glad you liked the chapter, though. O.O;;; Muppets? *flees*

Kyoko Kasshu Minamino: Well, Inu didn't kill her... but she died anyway! *tacks up huge neon pink sign that says: FORESHADOWING!* Get it? Hn. *snatches axe from Shortz* Get back to work, you!

Kei: O.O;;;; Random anime party... riiiiiiight. Ooh, a fan shirt? Of me? Cool! *snatches and runs, then realizes that there's no point of wearing your OWN fanshirt and gives it back* Eheh. Thanks for the review!

HJO: *stares* Oh... no... *dashes out into the street, screaming* Pedestrians run for cover! Heather's got a license! AAAAGHHHH! ^^; Kidding. Congrats. *mallet thunks upside my head* Ow... oh, well. Better than dozens of mallets and a whip...

Killer Goldfish: ^____________^ I take that as a positive thing! Thanks for reviewing!

Nishigirl: I don't think she's a major character either, which is why she died... *snickers* I watch the CN Inu episodes, too, so I'm not that up to date... *sighs* Darn you, America... why can't we just watch the subtitles?

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Preview of **Chapter 9: Guilt**

'Why didn't I notice?'......

'Damn it, I could have been there!'.......

'It's all my fault!'.....

~*Please Review!*~


	9. Guilt

****

Note: Phoenix is now a 'he'. Writing 'it' all the time was getting tedious.

~*~

Inuyasha: *very loudly* What's going on here?

Aki: You have to- *stares at the top of Inu's head* Er...

Sesshou: *glances at the top of Inu's head and snorts*

Aamalie: *sighs* Here... *holds up a sign that says "You have to kill this guy that looks like you."*

OOC!Inu: *reads the sign* HEY!

Kouga: *reads as well* Oh. That means I have to kill that guy, huh? *points at OOC!Kouga, who is picking flowers*

Corisu: *nods*

Kouga: Hmph. Fine. *dashes forward, disembowels OOC!Kouga, and returns to the others* Can I go now?

Kei: O.O; That was fast...

Kouga: *smirks*

Kunoichi: Aaaand... you can't go until Inu kills his counterpart...

Inu: WHAT?

Kouga: -.-;;; Do you know how long that could take?

Aamalie: Sadly, I do...

Inu: *yells, pointing to Corisu* Wench! If you don't tell me what's going on, I'll KILL you!

Kouga: *cough* Yeah, right! *cough*

Aamalie: ^^; He can't hear you anyway...

Kouga: ^_^ Oh yeah! *shouts* Yeah, RIGHT!

Sesshou: That was juvenile.

Kouga: Thank you.

Corisu: *glares at Inu, then cuts a portal to the real world and yanks Kagome in* Sit him!

Kagome: o.O? Why?

Corisu: *crosses arms* He threatened to kill me...

Kagome: Oh. Okay then! Osuwari!

(Nothing happens.)

Inu: WHAT?

Everyone except Inu: Oh... crud.

Chapter 9: Guilt

Inuyasha was nothing more than a red blur as he wove between the trees; they seemed to be moving directly into his path to impede his progress. Now that his nostrils were not being drowned in Kikyou's scent, he became aware of the tang of blood on the air. "Damn it..." he hissed, pushing himself faster.

As he neared the source of the blood-scent, he noticed that he was very near to the home where they were supposed to be staying for the night. What if it was Sango who had been attacked? 'Or Kagome...' 

The thought made his skin feel cold. His pace quickened and the trees sailing past him became little more than green smudges in the air. The scent of blood was getting stronger, almost stifling. He berated himself once more about his carelessness. 'I can't believe I let my guard down so much...'

It was then that he reached the body. She lay face-up, her eyes wide and unseeing. Blood saturated the cloth at her neck and stomach. Inuyasha felt his stomach turn.

"Damn." Koharu. The human side of him overflowed with pity, and he immediately attempted to quell it. He tried to view her death as a part of life, as he had with the others, but he found it impossible. He couldn't just accept this so quickly. Not when, just hours ago, he had heard her voice... he had seen her nervous flush when she talked to Miroku... She had been so _alive_...

Inuyasha took a few steps closer to her body, trying to sort through the scents on the air. Primarily, there was blood. Then, he detected the various odors from the village, but there was nothing that betrayed the killer's identity... 'Wait...'

In the overpowering scent of Koharu's lifeblood, there was something else. Something different. He leaned over her body, trying to locate the disturbance-

There was something clutched in her hand. Something that smelled of violent storms.

"Shit... Miroku!"

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Phoenix mulled over the recent events, pondering his strange behavior. The damn monk. Everything traced back to him.

The newly dead... Koharu... hadn't been a target. He had been planning to finally take the young miko, and use the power of her blood to regain the power that he had lost over the long centuries. So, why...?

Just as quickly as he formulated the question, he came up with an answer. It all led him in a circle. Back to the monk.

The girl had obviously been close to the monk. There was no other explanation. Though the feeling of 'care' was foreign to him, he had to come up with something. The bodily contact that she had initiated had been the last straw. She had been a threat. The threat had now been eliminated.

Even as he thought, his mind wandered to another subject. 'If the young girl was a threat, could the taijiya be the same?'

He remembered his limbs' resistance to slaying Koharu, and he remembered the same reluctance when he had followed the taijiya - Sango - on the forest path. But... that feeling had been different.

It was as if the monk's will still roared strong when he saw this Sango. Though the monk's will was now merely a thread, it still held the power to keep Phoenix from slaying the taijiya.

'Why?'

As much as he thought, he could not come up with an answer. The explanation hovered just outside of his understanding, but one thing became increasingly clear.

Sango was a hazard.

She therefore had to be eradicated.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Sango rushed through the woods. 'I knew I didn't imagine it... that was a scream...' She vaguely heard the crunching of leaves under Kagome's feet from behind her, but the miko utterly failed to keep up.

As Sango ran, she heard the shifting of branches ahead of her, and breathy words. She immediately halted, then began to creep forward at a more cautious pace, straining her eyes to peer through the limbs that were stretching into her line of vision. She held her breath as a form moved in front of her, but she relaxed as she caught sight of a red haori.

"Inuyasha!" 

The hanyou turned as Sango stepped from the woods, her cheeks slightly flushed and her breathing heavy from exertion. "Sango..."

She scrutinized his face. There was some unreadable emotion flickering across it, but she couldn't decipher exactly what it was. "What is i-" She cut off as her eyes flickered to the stretch of earth behind him. "No..."

Sango took a few steps forward, then trotted the rest of the way to the girl's body and dropped to her knees. She heard Kagome stumble from the trees, but she didn't turn. Instead, she reached out a hand as if to brush Koharu's scattered bangs from her face. Before she got there, however, she noticed something white sticking out of the girl's clenched fist.

Kagome, meanwhile, had momentarily frozen up at the sight of Koharu's body. When her paralysis ebbed and her eyes were brimming with tears, she turned and abruptly buried her face into Inuyasha's chest, sobs racking her small frame. Inuyasha looked temporarily bewildered before his eyes softened and he placed a comforting hand on her back.

Sango pried the object from the girl's cooling hand, then slowly smoothed out the crumpled places, knowing what it was before she did so. The parchment was marked with three large kanji.

An ofuda.

Sango's hand fisted around the small paper and she closed her eyes, her mind whirling. 'Why didn't I notice? I could have saved her... But there's no doubt now...' She pushed herself slowly to her feet, her eyes still closed. 'Houshi-sama...'

She now understood the look on Inuyasha's face. He'd thought that this realization would hurt her. How right he was.

When the whirling of her thoughts ceased, she clenched the ofuda in her hand and opened her eyes. She realized that Kagome had seen nothing that would betray Miroku, and she found that she didn't want the miko to know. It would make what she had to do that much harder.

"Inuyasha. Could you take her back to her relatives' home? We can do that much for her."

Inuyasha gently stepped away from the young miko, whose face was still streaked by falling tears, and strode to Koharu's body. He knelt and gathered her form into his arms, then stood effortlessly, as if she was weightless. In the close proximity, he became even more aware of the stench of blood that covered the corpse. The smell was thick on the air, curling upward like palpable waves.

"Let's go," he finally managed. "I don't want you two going anywhere alone."

Both of the girls nodded slowly. Sango put an arm around the younger girl's shoulders and led her from the site. Inuyasha brought up the rear, his ears straining to pick up any foreign sound that might betray a dangerous presence. His gaze repeatedly flickered down to the body in his arms.

'Damn it, I could have been there! If I had just stayed at the house instead of-' He paused in his thoughts. The wounds... they smelled completely different... The one at the stomach was slightly older; it hadn't been the killing blow. The injuries were as much as five minutes apart... If he had been at the house, he would have had the time to reach the scene... and save her...

Inuyasha's shoulders slumped as much as the weight of the body would allow. 'I may not have delivered the blows... but I still killed her. It's... It's all my fault!'

The house of the dead girl's relatives came into sight. Lost in his guilt-ridden thoughts, he had fallen behind the girls. He could hear their voices from the interior of the house, explaining, no doubt, what they were about to see when Inuyasha entered.

Taking a deep breath, he stepped inside, already catching the aroma of tears on the air.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Phoenix wiped his blade rather rudely on the man's yukata, trying to avoid the bloodstains from the chest wounds that he had inflicted. "Thank you..." he whispered softly. "You have provided precisely what I needed."

He left the dead man propped against a crude wooden fence, then took the path that would lead him to the house that the man had come out of before being ambushed. A smirk stretched Phoenix's face as he reached the large dwelling, then stepped inside, eyeing the trapdoor at the far end of the room.

Without pretense, Phoenix took hold of the cool metal ring on top of the door and pulled, removing the square of wood and revealing a deep black pit. There was a rope ladder lying against the wall nearby, and two small hooks near the trapdoor told him where to attach it. Within seconds, he was standing on the earthen floor of the reasonably large underground cellar.

Since it was summer, there had been no need for the man to store food here, to keep it from aging too quickly.

But Phoenix would find a use... It would store something much more precious...

A malicious laugh tore from his throat as he ascended the ladder once more.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Mwaha! A cookie to those who know what he's going to store... though it's rather obvious, ne?

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Corisu: Ok, here's the plan: We make up flashcards to tell Inu what to do so he'll kill his counterpart, then we send all of the originals after the OOCs while we hunt for the ears!

Inu: WHAT?

Corisu: -.-;; Eheh. First, let's get rid of him 'cuz Kagome can't subdue him while he's deaf... *pulls out index cards* Anybody have a Magic Marker?

Aamalie: *sighs* Why don't we just do this... *snaps, and Inu pulls the Tetsusaiga and throws it at OOC!Inu, who drops dead and vanishes in a puff of smoke* See? Simple!

Kei and Aki: Now why didn't we think of that?

Aamalie: ^^; I've been practicing.

Corisu: *groans* Yet again: Show-off. Kuno-chan...?

Kunoichi: *wakes up from a drooling sleep leaning on the shoulder of a wide-eyed Kouga* Yeah?

Kouga: O.O; Why... won't... she... move?

Corisu: Take these two back for me, 'kay?

Kunoichi: Suuuure... *uses Scythe to cut a portal to the real world at her feet, then drop-kicks Inu in*

Kouga: And what makes you think I wanna go in there?

Aamalie: --; *quite calmly pushes Kouga to the edge of the portal* FURRY!

Kouga: URK! *falls Inu-style into the portal, which closes with a sound like a flushing toilet*

Kei: A toilet? o.O;

Kunoichi: SFX rule!

Corisu: Riiiight... Hey, what's that? *points off into distance, where a tree just went up into blue flame*

Aki: I dunno, but I think you're gonna make us find out...

Corisu: Darn right! Onward, warriors!

(The gumi trek towards the oddly flaming tree.)

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

****

Review Responses:

Wakadori Ramen: ^^;; *eyes her DIE KOHARU DIE poster* Eheh. Well I'm glad the sadisticness (is that a word? o.o;) made it okay! I agree that she wasn't that big of a hindrance (in fact, she made Sango show her feelings) but she still annoyed the heck out of me.. Thank you for the review! ^__^

Kei: Eheh. No clue why the review thing's taking so long... Ooh! Hoodie... *grins* I should start my own clothing line... ^_^ You know, I find myself reading things out loud and doing the voices, too... o.O;; Erm... we're all weird! *small party*

HJO: Well, it's nice to know that you always review... and also to know that you are a fairly good driver. ^^; *jumps away from whip* ACK! I'm workin', I'm workin'... Sheesh.

Vamps: *raises eyebrow* Hm. That is a rather odd typo! Thank you for telling me about it! There are some things that aren't caught by beta or writer, and I don't feel grr-ish at you for pointing it out. ^^

Nishigirl: *does the cliffie dance* I knuuu... mean cliffie. And yeah, Sango is rather on the ball, isn't she? As for if they'll catch him... *opens mouth, but TV flares up suddenly in background and drowns out her words*..... okay? ^_____^

Manofmanyfaces: Eheh. My exact words, I believe, were 'Darn you America, why can't we just watch the subtitles?' ^^; It wasn't really a bash on the country... more like a bash on the TV stations that air anime. And I'm glad you found what you were looking for! ^^;;;

Kin103: *sighs and wiggles nose, shattering the boombox that's playing the soap opera music* .; Yeeesh.. it's a Feudal Young and the Restless... I hope this chapter was fast enough for you!

GinHasa: O.O;;; *sloooooowly backs away* Hmmm... so you wish to help us in Chocospace? Hmmm... I'll see if I can fit you into the next chapter then. Nice to know you're interested, and thanks for the review! ^_^

Noki-san: Thank you! I hope I didn't leave you hanging for too long!

Aamalie: You already knew that you were right about the Koharu hugging thing... ^____^ You're good. *surreptitiously adjusts foil hat* *sighs* Yes, Margo no baka, I DID update my bio... about two months ago... -.-;;; SNAPPLE?! WHERE! *yanks out camera* Gossssssip... ooooooooh....

Teletha: Don't worry. I'm not a total Kikyou hater and I won't make her out to be absolutely intolerable! Oh, and I'm working on a happy ending... Love conquers all! *peace sign* O.O;;;;; I shouldn't have told you that...

Kyoko Kasshu Minamino: *bursts into giggles* Yes... Miroku is a killer... a naive one, but a killer nonetheless... *wiggles nose and chainsaw pops out of Shortz's hand and into hers* Hmph. No chasing Kyoko-chan. 'Tis not nice. Kenshin: *appears* That it isn't! ^^

Lily Among The Thorns-89: I know... *bows head pitifully* I'm a chronic cliffie-leaver. I've tried therapy, but the psychiatrists all quit when they couldn't stomach the wait between sessions. ^^;;;

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Coming soon - **Chapter 10: A Lone Hunter**

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

~Why don't you click the button and make sure it's working? ^_____^


	10. A Lone Hunter

(Random flame roars up and spells out "I don't own Inuyasha".)

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Everyone except Sesshou: O.O;;;

Corisu: I never thought I'd see the day...

Aamalie: Scarred for life here...

(A small red blur is dashing around, randomly setting innocent things on [blue] fire. Above the blur, in a tree, sits a wavy-haired figure dressed in a pink jumpsuit.)

Kei: My EYYYYEEEESSS!!

OOC!Shippou: Mwahahaha! I burn YOU! And I burn YOU! *sets Sesshou's tail on fire*

Sesshou: ...

OOC!Shippou: MWAHA-urk! *is thwacked in the head by a rock thrown by Sesshou*

Sesshou: *calmly pats the fire out* Hmph. I have no time for childish games. Since my counterpart has been defeated, I shall take my leave. Y-

Kuno: *shoves him into a portal* Yeah, yeah, save it for the Grammys...

OOC!Naraku: *leaps down from the tree and stares at Aki*

Aki: *shrinks back* Errm...

OOC!Naraku: ^__________^ Darling! I think you would look just _smashing_ in lavender!

Everyone: *facefaults*

Corisu: Darn... I was expecting something like that, but still... darn...

OOC!Shippou: *sets Naraku's hair on fire* MWAHA!!! *continues to dash and set fires*

OOC!Naraku: O.O;;; MY PERM!!! NUUUUUU!!! *runs around in circles*

Aamalie: Heyyyy... do you know what this means?

Kei: Major split ends?

Aamalie: -_-;; Nooo... It means that the OOC characters can kill each other!

Kei: Oh... ^^; I didn't know that...

Corisu: Hm. Well, I'm interested in seeing how THIS fight turns out.

OOC!Naraku: *turns on OOC!Shippou, teary-eyed* You'll pay for this, you jerk! This hairdo cost me $80! Oooh, Stephanie won't be happy..! *brandishes pink-painted claws*

OOC!Shippou: Bring it on, ya %*#@%*&!!!!

Everyone: O___O;;;

****

Chapter 10: A Lone Hunter

Koharu was buried in the small meadow just beyond the village. The area was bordered by trees that dripped with brightly colored blooms. it was a beautiful site for a grave, but it did nothing to ease the pain of the girl's family... or her acquaintances.

Twilight found Inuyasha sitting on a high branch, his back against the solid bark of the old tree. He looked as if he was gazing off into the distance, but his eyes were unfocussed. He was lost in thought, his guilty musings plaguing him like unusually persistent flies. He was as dead to the world as a sleepwalker...

Which was why Kagome 'sat' him out of the tree when he failed to answer her calls.

Inuyasha raised his head, his face smudged with dark soil. "Wench! What was that for?"

"You didn't answer me! I was wor-" She paused. "Just come on. We need to discuss what we're going to do. You know... about Miroku-sama."

The angry look evaporated instantly and the hanyou rose to his feet. They quickly covered the short distance to the home of Koharu's relatives, but they didn't enter the house. The mourning family had yet to get over the shock of losing the young girl, and they did not want to disturb them with their talk. Instead, Kagome led Inuyasha into the forest and into a small clearing.

In the middle of the treeless area, Sango sat quietly, her hands folded in her lap. Beside her, Kirara stood watch in her larger form. It bothered the taijiya to no end that it was Miroku, her sweet - albeit perverted - Houshi-sama that they were safeguarding against. 

When she caught sight of Inuyasha and Kagome, she rose to her feet and brushed off her kimono. The cloth wasn't dirty, she just needed something to do with her hands. When it had passed her little inspection and her friends stood in front of her, she lifted her head slowly. "We can't change our mission," she stated simply, but each word was spoken as if it cut her on the way out of her mouth. 

Kagome blinked. "What... what are you talking about, Sango?"

"I think I know what she means," Inuyasha folded his arms in front of him and gave Sango an odd look. "She's trying to say that we still have to hunt the Phoenix, even though..."

"...Even though it's Houshi-sama..." Sango finished. For the first time, her eyes began to burn with imminent tears. They weren't for the dead girls... not even products of her own pity. They were for Miroku, the man that they had to hunt.

"Sango..." Kagome whispered, then put a hand on the older girl's shoulder. "I think he'll be okay. Maybe we'll be able to bring him back."

"Or maybe we'll have to kill him," Inuyasha added. When he received glares from both of the girls, he explained: "There's no use getting our hopes up, that's all. We've never seen anything like this before; there's no telling what we'll have to do. Do you remember that haiku that you found, Sango?" The taijiya nodded, and he continued. "Well, it's said that this thing has never really died, remember? So what if the thing that 'it doesn't understand' is death?"

Silence fell on the clearing. A hot tear rolled down Sango's cheek and she brushed it away irritably.

"We're leaving in the morning, so get some rest," Inuyasha said, finally breaking the silence. "Even though I can't track the Phoenix's scent, I can guess his direction because we all approached the scene from a different way. The earlier we set out, the faster we'll catch up with him." He raised an arm and pointed vaguely, indicating the direction that he assumed that Phoenix had gone.

Sango hesitated, then nodded slowly, allowing Inuyasha to lead them back to the house while Kirara brought up the rear. As she walked, she became aware that Inuyasha understood exactly what she was going through, and he had said exactly what she needed to hear. When the taijiya became stressed or sad, her first thought was to take action. Inuyasha's suggestion was giving her an outlet to do just that.

And Kagome... she was always there to comfort, to lend an ear. Growing up in the slayers' village, Sango's closest acquaintances had been her family. Friendships were hard to foster when everyone was constantly risking their lives. Of course, they were in that same predicament now, but the younger girl was so persistent that it was impossible to refuse her empathy.

The two had certainly been supportive in their own ways...

It was a shame that she would have to leave them both behind.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Phoenix was sitting cross-legged on the floor of his 'borrowed' home, his eyes closed and his mind wandering. It still bothered him that he had been unable to kill the taijiya, but that concern was slowly fading. 'If we ever meet again,' he told himself, 'she will not be so lucky.'

A sharp knock on the doorframe startled him out of his thoughts. He remained silent and immobile, waiting. In a few seconds, another knock came, followed by a tentative voice... a female's voice.

"Yanata-san? It's Genmei Reika; I've brought the cloth that you asked for! Yanata-san?"

Phoenix's mouth curved into a malevolent smile. He rose quietly, stepping toward the hanging reeds. With the grin still in place, he murmured, "Reika?"

"Y-Yanata-san? Are you all right?"

He licked his lips, practically tasting her fear. The sun had nearly faded from view, and she could see very little. "Would you bring it inside for me?"

The girl hesitated. It seemed like such an odd request; why couldn't he come to the door and retrieve it himself? "I'd rather not."

Phoenix glided toward the door. "As you wish..." In one fluid motion, he shoved the reeds aside, grabbed her by the wrist, and drew her into the house.

The girl's eyes widened until they looked in danger of falling out of her head. She drew in breath to scream, but Phoenix covered her mouth quickly. Since she could no longer scream, Reika began to thrash, trying to break free. He frowned slightly. None of the others had put up such a fight so early on. This one was obviously a little wiser.

He put one arm around her chest and pulled her to his body so that her back was to his stomach. When he felt her lungs expand again, his other hand shot upward and sank into the flesh of her throat, effectively cutting off her air supply. Her cries were reduced to mere gurgles and futile gasps.

In mere seconds, her movements had ceased and she lay limp in his arms. Phoenix knew better, however, and held on to her a little longer to assure that she was indeed unconscious. Once he was satisfied, he hefted her into his arms and carried her toward the gaping trapdoor.

"My first new resident..." he whispered. "How very exciting... At this rate, I will never want for blood." With those quiet words, he descended from sight, down into the blackness of the trapdoor.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Sango lay on her side, her eyes wide open. Sleep danced somewhere just out of reach, and she wasn't trying too hard to attain it. Kagome's rhythmic breathing told the taijiya that the girl was asleep, but Inuyasha was much harder to predict.

If he still felt the same guilt that she felt, he wouldn't be asleep either. Therein lay the danger of going outside - if he was in a nearby tree, he would see her depart and stop her. Finally deciding, she sat up without a sound, groping at her side for Hiraikotsu. She'd worn her slayer outfit under her kimono when she went to bed so that no one would suspect anything, but the extra layer was now unnecessary. She quickly shed it, then slung Hiraikotsu over her back. After securing her katana at her side, she was ready to go.

She stepped out of the reed door as quietly as she was able, and no one inside the house stirred. Tilting her head upward, she scanned the skies for any sign of Kirara. The nekoyoukai had left hours before they had all gone to bed; her part of the mission was to look out for signs of the Phoenix as well as any other dangers.

Sango took a few steps forward, then glanced back at the hut. 'Kagome... Please forgive me. I hope you can understand why I have to do this. In order to relieve my guilt, I must hunt him down... alone.'

She set off, moving slowly and silently until she was out of range of the others, then gradually worked up to a run. The cool air soothed her lungs as she quickly covered ground, arriving shortly at the place where Koharu had fallen.

"He said it was this way," she murmured to herself, recalling what Inuyasha had said earlier that day. Once more, she began to run, trying to pick a straight path through the congested trees. She was just getting used to her swift pace when a single spoken word caused her to leap from her chosen trajectory and raise a hand to Hiraikotsu.

"Sango."

"Who's there?" As soon as the words passed her lips, Sango realized that she already knew the answer. The voice was slightly altered, but not enough to render it unrecognizable.

The gentle swish of cloth against leaves floated to her ears as a dark shape materialized in front of her. "_You_..."

Phoenix chuckled. "I could have killed you dozens of times over as you ran recklessly though this forest, taijiya. You are a fool for coming alone."

"I came alone for my own reasons. But why I came is unimportant. The fact remains that I will slay you!" Sango loosed Hiraikotsu and held it tightly in her right hand.

"I doubt that you have the skill... or the desire."

"What do you mean? I'm capable of defeating you!"

Phoenix took a few steps forward. "Perhaps. But are you capable of defeating your... Houshi-sama?"

Sango recoiled. "What?"

"He is still here. A vague presence, but his soul remains. Could you kill him, taijiya?"

Sango's hand was trembling on her weapon's strap. "I refuse to believe that Houshi-sama would want to live this way, but-"

"But you could not slay him with your own hands," the monk's form finished, chuckling slightly. "That will prove to be your undoing!" Without further pretense, he launched himself forward.

"Hiraikotsu!" The heavy boomerang sliced the air toward its target, but Phoenix dodged it easily, drawing his knife and quickly closing the distance between the two.

Sango pulled her katana halfway out of its sheath just in time to catch the blade. She held the hilt with both hands, trying with all of her might to push her opponent back. The angle was too strange, however, and she found herself sliding backward.

Phoenix leaned forward until his face was very near the taijiya's. "A deplorable weakness... that katana requires that you use both of your hands, while I employ only one." He used his free hand to grasp Sango's wrists and push them aside. 

Sango winced; he was twisting her hands painfully. Her grip on the katana was steadily loosening.

A conflicted look passed over Phoenix's face before he spoke his next words.

"And after all of this time, he _still_ will not let me kill you..." He pulled his knife away and struck Sango across the face with the hilt.

She never felt her body hit the ground.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Corisu: *yawns* Sorry this took so long... but I've been studying for the Graduation Tests and I really haven't had time to do much of anything else... I hope you'll understand if I forego responses; I'm just too exhausted!

~Review, or may you be locked in the school cafeteria with an eternity of 3-hour tests ahead of you and you're wearing shoes that are too small and your No. 2 pencil keeps breaking and your pencil sharpener's dull and your nails begin to split from peeling back the wood and- *continues ranting about the freakin' TESTS*

(Oh! Cookie to Manofmanyfaces, who predicted what Phoenix would store... but I think there may have been more who guessed it. I don't really remember, and I'm way too lazy to look, so pocky to everyone! *throws out handfuls*)


	11. The One Thing

Corisu: Ok, this time, it's not my fault! This chappie was ready a while ago, but my computer crashed (you'd know if you'd read my livejournal... or my bio) and I lost it completely! ;_; Fortunately, Aamalie still had it and re-sent it. I got lucky! ^___^ Once more, I must leave out the crazy disclaimer, for fear that I'll _never_ get this posted...

****

Chapter 11: The One Thing

"Hey!"

Sango shifted in her injury-induced slumber. As she slowly regained consciousness, she became aware that she was leaning against a wall, her arms bound and anchored over her head. Her legs were bent under her, and she sat on her feet. Also, someone was calling to her.

"Hey, you!"

A _female_ someone...

"HEY!"

Sango jerked her head up and opened her eyes, glaring across the room at the source of the voice. She could see nothing; the room was pitch black. The walls were earthen, leading her to believe that she was underground. 'Why am I still alive?' she wondered vaguely, then shook her head. There would be a better time for contemplation; now was the time to answer the girl that was still trying to get her attention.

"I heard you wake up! I know y-"

"_What_?" Sango gritted out. She began to twist her wrists in small circles and found that they were bound with nothing more substantial than rope.

The other girl stirred a little before sighing. "He got you too, huh?"

Sango stopped her efforts and snorted. "No. I merely though that this was an admirable place to spend my free time." Her hands resumed their movement.

"Oh." The other girl sighed again. "I'm Genmei Reika."

Sango ignored her. 'Come on, give!' The more she moved, the more the rope bit into her skin. The beginnings of pain began to thrum down her hands, but she continued to move.

Reika didn't seem to get the hint. "And you are...?"

The taijiya sighed, then let her hands relax and turned toward the direction of the girl's voice. "Sango."

Reika grinned, obviously thinking that she'd gained a friend. "So... any plans on how to get out of here?"

Sango looked up. "Here? Where's here?"

"Oh! You were out cold when he brought you in-"

From that moment on, Sango fell out of the conversation. She recalled her capture, and how much the abductor still looked exactly like her Houshi-sama, except for the eyes. They were no longer warm, kind, and slightly lecherous. They were cold, cruel, calculating. Her body tensed slightly, then relaxed, and her chin dropped to her chest. 'I was a fool to go after him... a fool to think that I could save him alone.' The prickle of impending tears began in her eyes, but she blinked the sensation away. She could cry after she was free... after...

After what?

After she had accepted that she would never reclaim Houshi-sama from the spirit that had overtaken him? After Reika bled to death to feed the thing's insatiable hunger? After the taijiya felt the cold touch of metal at her throat?

"No..." Sango whispered, starting her efforts anew. She could feel the ropes biting into her wrists more than they had before, but they were moving a touch more freely. She realized that the ropes must have made lacerations in her hands, and the blood from the cuts was lubricating the ropes.

"What will he do?" Reika's voice was suddenly somber. The taijiya realized that the girl's earlier demonstration of optimism in a grave situation was nothing but a defense mechanism. The younger girl was afraid; it was clear in the slight vibration of her voice. "Will he... rape us?"

Sango stopped her efforts again, resting for a short while. The cuts were beginning to burn badly, but at least she could offer the girl a semblance of comfort. "No. He won't."

Reika made no more attempts at conversation, but she was anything but silent. She curled against the wall, tears rolling down her face and muffled sobs escaping her throat.

Just as Sango began to try the ropes again, there was a low creak. Dim light spread through the chamber, and she flinched. 'Light? That means that I was out cold for the entire night, then...'

"He approaches," Reika whispered, and Sango turned to her, able to see the girl for the first time. Her hair was mussed; she had obviously gone down with a fight. Her eyes were defiant, but at the same time, a bit of that stubbornness had eroded. She didn't look hopeless, by all means, but it seemed as if she was beginning to understand that she would never escape if left to her own devices.

There was a clatter from the area of the trapdoor. Sango turned her gaze back toward it; a rope ladder had fallen through the square hole. As she watched, a foot stepped onto the topmost rung, closely followed by Phoenix's entire form.

"Reika. So nice to see that your beauty has not waned in my absense." Reika just glared at the spirit, her mouth firmly closed. "Ah, and Sango... the newest member of our little family. How do you like my accomodations?"

Sango's expression mirrored that of the other girl, although her face was softened somewhat with the grief of loss. This was the first time that she had gotten a chance to look closely at the Phoenix when she wasn't concentrating more on his battle prowess than his appearance. Now, she could fully take it in. His hair-tie had been removed, letting the short black hair float around his shoulders, barely touching his the fabric of his black robes. Again, her gaze was drawn to his eyes, robbed of their vibrance by the depraved spirit.

When neither of the girls returned his greetings, Phoenix chuckled and stepped forward. "Well, I see that my hospitality has been less than well-received." He paused, then glanced toward Sango. "You are bleeding." In what seemed like an instant, he was in front of her, his eyes fixed on her bound hands. 

At that moment, Sango attempted to sweep her legs forward and trip him, but she quickly made notice of one little oversight. The way she was positioned, with her legs folded under her, made it impossible for her to attack in any way. 'Damn. He's thorough.'

As she met Phoenix's close stare, she saw something like disquiet in them. His hand was halfway extended as if to touch her bloodied hands, but he seemed unable. A nagging thought pulled at Sango's mind, but she supposed that she had more pressing matters to deal with.

"You must explain something to me," he said finally.

Sango just stared. 'What could he possibly want me to explain to him? And once more, why am I not dead?'

"My first kill - the betrothed of Sakai Hiro - held no pangs for me. Her blood was nourishing, plentiful. I fed without pretense."

Reika gasped. She had obviously figured out Phoenix's plan for them both. He wasn't quite finished with his little interrogation of Sango, however.

"The small girl from that village was also very easy to wound. I felt no need to kill her, but if I had, it would have been easy. _Easy_."

Sango just looked at him. She couldn't figure out where the conversation was going. What could his point possibly be?

"Young Koharu was fairly simple to slay, but some sort of force seemed to repulse my malice temporarily. I ignored it, and she met her end almost as easily as the others. However.." He fixed Sango with a piercing gaze. "What I felt from her is only a fraction of what I feel radiating from your pores. What I wish to ask is..." Phoenix tipped the taijiya's head upward and brought his face within inches of hers. "Why am I unable to slay you, wench?"

Sango's eyes widened. 'He... can't kill me? But-' Her memory ground into motion, and she remembered all of the times that she had been alone with Phoenix since he had possessed Miroku's body. 'He _could_ have killed me several times... but why didn't he?'

"I know a portion of the reason," Phoenix continued. "The monk stays my hand each time. But why? What force binds you two so strongly?"

And Sango knew.

****

To destroy the dark,

Her mind conjured up memories of the monk before his possession. His very presence was charming... his eyes windows to every emotion that he ever felt. He had been quite the hentai, true, but when it counted, he would never hestitate to lay his life on the line for his friends.

****

Show him the one thing that he

Sango looked up into the cool eyes of the Phoenix. There was only a flicker, but she was sure that for an instant, just a split second, she saw her Houshi-sama hidden within. There was just a spark, then it was gone... but it was enough. An unnoticed tear slipped from one eye.

****

Cannot understand.

"I love you, Houshi-sama," she whispered, too low for her to even hear herself.

Phoenix leered and leaned closer. "What was that, my flower?"

Sango seized her chance. The tears were flowing freely as she concentrated on the one spot of monk in all of the hatred and evil. "I love you, Miroku!" she shouted, then leaned forward and pressed her lips to the hovering entity's.

It was as if a shock had passed from her into the Phoenix; their mouths sealed together as if with magnetic force. The body before her began to shake violently, and she could have sworn that she could hear him screaming, even though the mouth against hers was not moving. As she watched, alarmed, a vapor began to pour from Phoenix's eyes, rising above both of their heads and forming a thick cloud.

The screaming increased in intensity until Sango wished her hands were free so that she could cover her ears. Then, with a final howl, the cloud seemed to catch fire and dissipated.

It was gone.

When Sango found that she could move, she pulled back slowly... and found herself looking up into the soft violet eyes of a dazed monk.

"Dear Lady Sango," he began, his voice starting off hoarse but gradually regaining its normal tone, "please tell me that that kiss was reality and not just an amorous dream."

"Houshi..." Her eyes still brimming, she pulled her hands rather roughly from the slackened ropes behind her and threw her upper body into the monk's arms, sobbing. "You're back... you're really back!"

Miroku blinked, then put a comforting arm around the girl's shoulder. "Back from where, exactly?"

Sango looked up, stunned. "You don't remember?"

"What is there t-" His eyes suddenly widened. Sango could see the expressions flit across his face, and she could tell exactly what was happening. All of the memories that had been surpressed by the Phoenix were returning, and Miroku was reliving all of the killings...

"Houshi-sama?" She watched in alarm as his eyes glazed over, then fluttered closed. His body suddenly sagged against her, a dead weight.

Leaning over one of her bent legs to brace herself, she gently lay the monk on the ground, then proceeded to try to rouse his unresponsive body. 

"Houshi-sama? Houshi-sama! MIROKU!"

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Corisu Li: Either the next chapter or the chapter after that will be the last! Almost... there... *collapses*

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

****

Review Responses:

Maniac3: ^______^ I'm so glad you like! I guess they'll find his ears in the next chapter, since I keep foregoing writing the crazy disclaimer... *whistles sheepishly* Thanks for reviewing!

Lily Thorne: *laughs* I now have the gloating rights to say that my fic is better than pocky! ^_^ Thanks!

Kin103: ^^;;; Eheh. I don't think this was what you meant by soon... but I tried! Hopefully, the next one will come faster. Thank you!

SM Together: I hope this chapter stopped you from biting your nails... and then started you right back up! ^____^ I'm so glad you like!

LishaVilla: Hey! I've never seen you before! ^_^ Hiya! I'm glad you liked the chapter... but I'm sort of known for cliffies... *stares at above chapter* I am the Mistress of the Evil Cliffies of DOOOOM!!!! *evil laugh, cough cough* Eheh. Glad you liked!

GinHasa: O.O; Ooh, I hope it went well! *laughs* You have no tech class, huh? Kinda sounds like me a couple of weeks ago. It was junior skip day, and I (like a geek -.-;;) went to school. I had no class with more than 5 people... ^_^ Which means I did nothing all day! Oh, and you'll get your disclaimer cameo in the next chapter, okay? ^___^

Xenia: *laughs* I like the way you think! I'm also very glad that you are enjoying my story! *gets engrossed in thinking of an analogy* Hmm... cigarettes are bad for you too... Chocolate?

Kyoko: @.@ Always with the mallets, Kyoko-chan? Neeee... Tests are over! Phweee! Spring break! Phweeee! Gigantic lump on my head from update mallet! Oww... *thud*

Lyra Pelgina: O.O;;; You wouldn't wish that fate on a poor authoress like me, would you? *cringes* Thanks for the reivews! I'm glad to know that I can get new readers even if I'm already deep into a fic!

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Review, please! *pokes Aamalie*


	12. Wall

Corisu Li: *waves away mist that spells out "I don't own Inuyasha"* We've been in Chocospace for weeks now... setting the canon characters on the OOC ones... And we've had some pretty interesting deaths...

Aamalie: ...OOC!Kagome purposefully running onto Kagome's arrow in a fit of Inu-lusting angst... .;;

Kunoichi: ...OOC!Miroku getting sucked into the kazaana because he was too much of a scaredy-bish to fight back or run...

Kei: ...OOC!Kikyou choking on her own lipstick...

Aki: ...OOC!Kanna talking until she suffocated from lack of breath...

Corisu: ^^;; Yeeeah. The list goes on and on. But finally, we have made it here, to the depths of Chocospace, and WE STILL DON'T SEE THOSE DARN _EARS_!!!

Aamalie: *blinks* Uh... have you tried looking there? *points*

Ketsueki: *is standing in front of a floating mirror, a pair of white ears perched on her head* Ooooooh...

Kei: O.O;; Aw, maaaan...

Aki: WE wanted to do that... 

Kei and Aki: *collective sigh*

Corisu: -.-;; Oi, you!

Ketsu: *looks up, blinking innocently* Yes?

Aamalie: *points at Gin's head* We kinda need those...

Ketsu: For whaaaat? *smirks*

Kei and Aki: Oh, for cryin' out LOUD! *dash forward, trying to snatch the ears, and-*

(ZAPPP!)

Corisu and Kunoichi: *blink at the area where the pair once were* Uhhh...

Aamalie: What'd you do to them? *mutters* Not that I care much, buuut...

Ketsu: I have transported them back to the real world! Mwahahaha!

Aamalie: Oh. Is that it?

Ketsu: Hmph! It was the best I could thing of on such short notice! Now... *grins evilly* You will never get the ears back! *headband with ears tied on falls off. She picks it back up, puts it on her head, and runs like all hell*

Corisu: Finally, the chase scene! *Scooby Doo music* Let's get her! *blinks* Oh, yeah, by the way, why did so many of you think I'd killed Miroku-sama? o.O;; You guys are so odd...

****

Chapter 12: Wall

Sango's pleas quieted to whispers as she bent over the monk's form. Silence thrummed through the cellar for a few minutes, then Reika's voice broke the hush.

"Is he dead?"

Those three words were spoken with such venom that Sango looked up, her eyes narrowed at the other girl's form, shrouded in half-darkness. "No. He's just unconscious."

Reika fell silent again as Sango worked the ropes around her ankles loose, stretching her legs beside her and letting the feeling return to them. The effort of untying the tight knots had made a few more cuts on her fingertips, but she'd live.

"It would serve him right if he was," the girl continued.

Sango did more than look up at this proclamation. She stood, strode over to the girl, and squatted beside her, matching her heated stare with one of her own. "Have you ever heard the legend of the Black Phoenix?"

Reika paused, then shook her head.

"Well, it isn't a legend. He was possessed. When Houshi-sama is himself, he is a good friend of mine."

"So you enjoy being tied up by him, is that it?"

Sango moved so quickly that she shocked herself. She slapped the younger girl soundly across the cheek.

For a moment, Reika just blinked, her head turned to the side. A reddened patch covered one cheek.

"You'd do well to treat me with more respect. I could easily leave you here, remember that."

"No," the girl turned back to Sango, her eyes suddenly pleading. "I need to get out of here... Untie me, please!" She tugged at her ropes, her gaze fixed on the prone figure lying on the earthen floor.

"If I release you, you have to help me get him out of here. I can't carry him alone, not up that ladder." Sango hoped that the girl had some degree of common sense. In the girl's eyes, it was either help get the man out or remain tied up with the man while Sango went for help.

Reika suddenly seemed to find the floor very interesting. "I'll help."

"Good." The taijiya cast her gaze around the room, and her eye caught the twinkle of metal in the light from the trapdoor. She approached the glint, which turned out to be Miroku's staff and her own katana.

Picking up the sword, Sango returned to Reika, holding the weapon high.

The girl's eyes widened and she began to struggle. "Don't! I'm sorry!"

Sango just blinked. 'Wha- Oh...' "I'm not going to hurt you. I'm just going to cut your ropes. The knots are too tight for me to attempt." When the girl stilled, Sango pressed the dull side of the blade to the inside of the girl's wrist and sliced through the bonds with a swift motion. With another slash, the girl was free, and rubbing her wrists thoughtfully.

Sango sheathed her katana and made her way back over to Miroku. "Come on. I'll go up and y-"

She broke off as a scuffling sound came from the other side of the room. The girl was already halfway to the ladder. 'Oh, for crying out loud...' "Genmei! Wait!"

The other girl didn't listen. Her hand was on the ladder- her foot- She was halfway up... disappearing... gone.

Sango sighed. 'Now how am I supposed to get him out of here?' As if in response, an 'oof!' came from above. 'What was that?'

Overcome with curiosity, Sango ascended the ladder after the girl and poked her head into the sunlight. She had never been so glad to see someone in her life. 

Inuyasha stood in the doorway, eyes wide. Reika was on her butt on the floor; she had apparently run right into him. Kagome was on tiptoe, peering over the hanyou's shoulder at the girl.

Reika climbed to her feet slowly, then glanced back toward the trapdoor, catching sight of Sango. She screamed, then threw herself at Inuyasha, clinging to his haori.

"They're crazy! The man down there was going to kill me! And she was... was..." Reika suddenly became aware that the man that she was speaking to was rather... odd. "AAHH! YOUKAI!"

"Oi! Shut up, wench! That hurts, you know!" Inuyasha raised his hands to his ears as Kagome pushed by him. 

"Don't mind him, he won't hurt you." The young miko gave an encouraging smile. "I'm Kagome. Who are you?"

"Don't bother, Kagome," Sango spat, pulling herself fully from the hole. "She won't listen to anything you have to say anyway."

Reika just huffed, stepping closer to Kagome and out if Inuyasha's path. The hanyou walked over to Sango, extended a hand, and helped her to her feet. "You okay?"

"I'm fine." She made a gesture toward the trapdoor. "How did you find me?" she added, rubbing her left wrist idly.

Inuyasha just blinked for a few seconds, an unvoiced question in his eyes. "Kirara showed up at dawn, frantic about something. She almost took my arm off trying to wake me up." He showed his slightly tattered sleeve for emphasis before continuing. "She started to lead us in this direction, until I could detect it for myself. There was a dead guy in the bushes not far from here."

He didn't need to say more. Sango read the hidden implication. "He's down there," she said quietly. "Out cold. But he's back to normal," she added, dropping her hands to her sides. "He's back," she whispered again, as if savoring the words.

Kagome had obviously heard the news and appeared beside Inuyasha, leaving Reika at the door. "Really, Sango? Are you sure?"

The taijiya nodded. "But I can't move him. Inuyasha, would yo-"

Before she'd finished her sentence, the hanyou had disappeared through the hole in the floor.

"How, Sango?" Kagome inquired, her eyes wide. "Was it the haiku?"

"Later, Kagome," Sango replied, kneeling beside the hole. "Inuyasha, retrieve his staff from the corner," she called.

When Inuyasha finally reappeared, Sango could finally see the damage that housing the Phoenix had done to the monk in full light. He looked positively awful. His hair had long since been loosed from its ponytail, and it was heavy with a substance that was unmistakably blood. The front of his robes was covered as well, and his skin was very pale save for a fevered blush high up on his cheeks.

Kagome barely suppressed a gasp. "He looks terrible!"

"He'll be fine, Kagome," Sango said quietly. "Physically, at least. Before he passed out, I saw the look in his eyes. I guess I had hoped that he would forget what he had done, just like... like Naraku made Kohaku forget..." She paused, then turned her back on the others. "He'll remember it all."

Reika was still standing at the door, and she let out a soft 'oh' at this comment. "He was taken over by an evil spirit?"

Sango whirled on the girl, her eyes flashing. "I have put up with you for far too long! Do you think I enjoyed being cooped up in a cellar with your incessantly flapping mouth with no means of escape? You insult my friends, act completely arrogant and dense, and then you expect us to help you when you get into a tight spot? For all I care-"

"Sango."

The voice was weak, but unmistakable. "Houshi-sama..."

"She's... afraid. You cannot... penalize her for that..." Miroku made a weak effort to escape Inuyasha's grip, and finally succeeded in lowering his feet to the ground, still leaning heavily on his friend.

Reika used Miroku's distraction to escape the hostile atmosphere of the house... and a telltale scream told the entire village that she'd found Kirara.

Kagome took a step toward the monk, ignoring the girl's frightened squeals. "You shouldn't be trying to stand!"

Miroku shook his head. "It is not my... body... that is injured."

Sango moved back until she was beside Miroku. Though the others seemed unable to pick it up, she could discern the slight difference in his eyes. They were a darker violet than they had been before his possession, and they seemed to have lost their usual light.

"Houshi-sama..." she whispered, putting a hand on his shoulder.

He grinned up at her, a little of the old Miroku shining through the pain. "Lady Sango, I believe I have you to thank for my... liberation?"

"Don't talk about that now. Wait until you're stronger," she answered firmly. 

Miroku opened his mouth as if to protest, closed it, and nodded. "That would be best." He gently pushed away from Inuyasha, standing on his own with minimal effort. "Judging by the screaming girl outside, I would say that we've worn out our welcome. Shall we go?"

As the other three made their way toward the door, Sango blinked in confusion. 'Why is he acting as if nothing ever happened? He _does_ remember, doesn't he?'

"Sango! Come on, let's get out of here!" Kagome's voice rang out from the yard.

With one final glance at her place of imprisonment, Sango stepped into the glaring sun.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Weeks.

It had been weeks.

And he still wouldn't talk about it.

Sango eyed the monk over her bowl occasionally, peering into the flames that separated them, then snapping her eyes back to her food. He was still joking with Kagome, still giving Inuyasha scalding advice... but his eyes were still dark.

They had left Reika behind in the village after telling the chief a doctored version of their story. Reika would, undoubtedly, tell him that Phoenix had nearly killed her instead of taking her in to protect her from a pursuer, and that Yanata had been slain by Miroku himself, instead of a random youkai. The tachi didn't really care either way. The important matter was removing themselves from any location that might remind Miroku of his misdeeds...

They had retraced their steps, Inuyasha leading them to skillfully skirt the village where Koharu had been slain. They stopped by Sakai Hiro's, picked up a very angry Shippou, and returned to the camp that they had left what seemed like years ago.

All of that effort, to try and keep Miroku's remorse and self-blame to a minimum...

And it seemed like the monk wasn't thinking about it at all!

Sango's eyebrow twitched slightly. 'How dare he act as if nothing happened... with something like this, he should be devastated! Not that I want him to be devastated, but- argh!'

A sudden sensation drew her attention away from her bowl.

Without thinking about it, Sango smacked whoever-it-was swiftly and forcefully.

"Uh... Sango?"

"Yes, Kagome?"

"Miroku was just moving your hair away from the fire... you were leaning rather close, and it was over your shoulder..."

"Oh." Sango looked back at the face-up monk. "Sorry about that, Houshi-sama..." Sango made a move as if to pull her hair up into her combat ponytail, when Miroku stopped her with one hand on her wrist.

"Don't. You are beautiful either way, but I like to see your hair framing your face."

Tomato time for Sango. Her blush looked nearly painful as she racked her mind for something to say. What came out when she opened her mouth was NOT what she'd expected. "Well, I have to keep my hair away from the fire somehow, and it's too cold to move far away! Would you rather I cut of all of my hair and grow a beard?*"

Miroku blinked for a second. 'Ooookay....' He released her quickly, letting her continue drawing her mane into a ponytail. "Don't even joke about that," he said finally, still a bit shocked.

"Yeah!" Shippou remarked from Kagome's lap. "Besides, then your _beard_ would catch fire."

Miroku took up the game. "I didn't think females could _grow _beards. Disturbing concept..."

"I don't think they can, Miroku-sama. Although... there was a bearded lady at a carnival when I was younger... but I don't know if that was faked or not..."

"Feh." Inuyasha entered the conversation with in his normal fashion. "You can't even tell if a beard is real? I thought you were supposed to be _educated_...*"

"OSUWARI!"

"Damn it!!"

Sango sighed. It was a normal night... one that shouldn't have been normal... With another sigh, she stood. "Kagome-chan, do you remember the springs near here? I think we could do with a bath, ne?"

Kagome nodded enthusicastically and had all of her materials collected before Sango could say 'onsen'. When the two girls had disappeared into the woods, Miroku stretched back and yawned. "You know, a bath would be the perfect thing to relax my muscles..." He shifted as if to stand, then a rock hit him directly in the temple, knocking him on his side.

Inuyasha's chin was dropped to his chest, his eyes closed. When he heard the thud of monk + dirt, he remained silent for a while, then asked, "Whatever happened to your bath?"

Miroku sat up, looking into the woods for his assailant. Rubbing the lump on his head, he decided to remain where it was safe. "I've made an interesting discovery..."

"What?"

"I'm... uh... hydrophobic.*"

Inuyasha opened one eye at this, but said nothing. 'The monk's weird... but not weird enough.' Letting his awareness drop, he slipped into a light doze, wondering why Miroku hadn't yet shown any emotion about the killings.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Corisu: This was supposed to be the last chapter, but it reeeeeally didn't turn out that way... The next will be, though! ^-^ You may be wondering some things... Miroku has put up a sort of mental block about what happened, but don't worry! Angst galore in the finale, as well as comfort... ^_______^ Also, the '*'s aren't random... they're a little challenge that makes me write faster. Aamalie-chan gives me the quotes, I work 'em in... which is why the last part of this chapter was slightly odd... o.O;;;

Kunoichi: If you're done ranting, can you get the ears from the crazy girl?

Ketsueki: *is running around, lightning bolts flashing across the sky* Muahahahaha!

Aamalie: -.-;; *calls out* Are you having fun over there?

Ketsu: *stops* N-n-nooooo... *bursts into tears*

Everyone else: *sweatdrops*

Corisu: Okay, what's the problem now?

Ketsu: I want the ears, but if I take the ears, Inu won't have any ears! ;_;

Kunoichi: *nods* I see your point...

Aamalie and Corisu: x.X;;;

Ketsu: WAH! *lightning bolt strikes Kunoichi* WAAH!

Kuno: *cough* Oh, that's IT! *wiggles nose, and Ketsu vanishes, the ear headband falling to the ground*

Aamalie: She... did it?

Corisu: Waaait... Kuno-chan, where did you send her?

Kuno: ^_______________________^

Ketsu: *falls onto Corisu* @.@

Corisu: @.@

Aamalie: *mushroom sigh* You're not the shiniest tool in the bishie torture kit, are you? *walks over and picks up ears*

Kuno: No! ^_____^

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

****

Review Responses:

Wakadori Ramen: @.@ I see your point. After re-reading it is does kind of seem... odd. *shrugs* Oh, well. What's done is done. I'm glad to see that it didn't annoy you to no end, though! ^^;

Stripe: Cliffies aren't stupid! They make the world go round... for me, at least! *evil laugh* ^^ Glad you liked!

Lily Thorne: *pokes*.... *pokes again* Ahem. What on earth made you think I'd killed el bishie supremo Houshi-sama? x.X Hopefully, this chappie was to your liking. ^__^

SM Together: ^^;;;; Well, I'm about to say something that I never thought I'd say... I'm glad that I'm the reason you can't wear nail polish! o.O; Man. That sounded weird.

Aamalie: *pointed look* Niiice. *shrugs* Ah, well, s'okay. I'm almost positive that I've missed reviewing a few chapters in the past. Just call me a hypocrite... even though I'm not. XD

Kin103: Yay! Evil cliffie! *parties* But at least this one wasn't. Right? Ne, now you know how many chappies are left... ^_^ Hope this was soon enough for you!

LiL psYch0: I'm glad that this fic had the same effect on you as the kazaana does on youkai! ^________^ Don't scold yourself... some of the best fics I've ever read were the ones that I caught 3/4 of the way finished... x.X

WindMistress: O.O;;;; The second one to think I killed him... Geez, I'm a little sadistic, but not THAT much... I wuv Miroku too much for that! *glomps him* Is this update soon enough?

GinHasa: ^^;;; Hope you liked the cameo... I had the first part written before you returned the e-mail, and when I re-read it, I seriously said, "Oh, well that worked out nicely." XD *points and laughs* Your class was outside... Mou, mine was just absent. o.o;

Lyra Pelgina: *bows* Uh... I am relieved that my life has been spared... methinks. ^^;; Chapter junkie, are you? XD Hope this was fast enough!

Queenizzay: YES! ^______________________^ Now it's time for me to return the favor! Neeee... *shifty eyes*

Maniac3: ^__^ I knuuuu... I'm glad he's back as well. That chapter pretty much wrote itself. I'm glad to see that you're enjoying this! ^^

fireand flames: I'm so glad you like the way I write! ^________^ Oh, Inu lost his ears because they were hit with the Whacking Stick of Disintegration, which... disintegrates things... XD

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Preview of **Chapter 13** (unlucky anyone? x.X)**: Keep Living**

"You don't understand. You couldn't." 

"Damn you, listen to me!" 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Click the buuuuuutton....


	13. Keep Living

French!Corisu: *wanders in, wearing a beret* Inuyasha ne m'appartient pas... Je suis triste... ;_;

Corisu: -.-;;; I'm not even going to translate...

(Back in the normal authoress world. Inu is sulking in a corner, his head bandaged. Kagome and Shippou are laughing uncontrollably at him while Corisu, Kunoichi, and Aamalie watch.)

Kagome and Shippou: BWAHAHAHAH!

Inu: Shut up. v.v;;;;

Corisu: *sighs* Well, I'm glad THAT's over...

Aamalie: You said it.

Kuno: Ditto... Now what are we going to do with _her_? *points to Ketsu, who's bound in a corner*

Corisu: Uhhh... *shrugs*

Aamalie: Why don't we just send her back to where she came from?

Kuno: ...

Corisu: I don't _know_ where she came from...

Ketsu: *giggles*

Aamalie: -.-; Mou.... 

****

Chapter 13: Keep Living

Sango lay on her side, fully awake. The very first rays of the rising sun had roused her from a fitful sleep, but she was making no effort to reenter the land of dreams.

Once more, she was deep in thought. She had now resigned herself to the fact that she would have to talk to Miroku; she had to find out how much he remembered. She knew for a fact how painful it was to keep your feelings inside. The desperation caused when she had tried that tactic had culminated in drastic action... she had been on the verge of slaying Kohaku and herself.

Sango glanced over at the dozing monk, who was propped against a tree, his staff leaning over his shoulder. His chest was rising and falling gently, indicating the depth of his slumber.

'I don't understand. How can he be sleeping so peacefully? I don't think I could-' 

Her thoughts trailed off as the object of her speculations opened on eye, then the other. He glanced over at the others, and Sango closed her eyes quickly, hoping that he hadn't noticed that she was awake. 

Apparently, he hadn't. The only sounds in the camp were those of birds and rustling leaves... then there was the distinctive sound of footsteps.

Sango's eyes snapped open once more. 'Where is he going?' 

When she had registered his direction, she pushed the blanket off her body and stood. 'If I have to talk to him,' she reasoned, 'it would be best to do it when no one else is present...' 

Making up her mind, she followed the path that the monk had taken.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* 

Kagome came awake all at once, blinking the sleep from her eyes and glancing around the small clearing at her friends - or rather, where her friends were supposed to be. Inuyasha was lounging in a tree, Shippou was lying beside her with Kirara curled up next to him... but her other two companions were missing.

'Sango probably just went for a bath or something... and Miroku probably followed.' Kagome stretched, then looked down at her light blue moon-studded pajamas. "Maybe I need to change," she muttered aloud.

It was as if the kit hadn't been asleep. Shippou sat up, resting his small hands on Kagome's knee. "Well, you'd better get away from here, then. Inuyasha might peek!"

Kagome ruffled his soft hair. "I think he knows better than that, Shippou..." She glanced up at the seemingly sleeping hanyou, then stood and slung her yellow pack over her shoulder. "Of course, better safe than sorry, huh?"

Shippou grinned. "And I'll come to keep you company... and to protect you from any youkai out there!" At that moment, the tip of Kirara's tail twitched in her sleep, brushing the kitsune's leg.

"WAH! Kagome!" He leapt into her arms, shaking, then sighing as he realized what had happened.

Kagome laughed. "Come on, Shippou. Let's go."

The two began to wander away from the site, not pausing until they reached an area that was out of sight, even with Inuyasha's eyes. 

"This is perfect." The girl dropped her bag at her feet and unzipped it. Shippou stood facing the camp, his arms crossed like a lilliputian bodyguard.

Kagome reached for the hem of her shirt, then paused, glancing up at a streak of red on a high branch. "Inuyasha!"

"What?" The reply dropped down, slightly irritated. Seconds later, the hanyou did the same. 

"What do you think this is, a strip tease? Make yourself scarce!" The blush was _definitely_ not helping the situation.

"Feh! I was just wondering where you went, that's all. I woke up to an empty camp back there!" Kagome just huffed and knelt to retrieve her bag, preparing to retreat further from the area. "Oi, Kagome!"

"What is it, Inuyasha?"

"What's a strip tease?*"

Kagome blinked, turned a deeper red, and whirled around to tell him off. Shippou beat her to it, however.

"I'll tell you when you're older, Inuyasha."

Kagome just stared down at the kitsune for a few seconds before bursting into helpless giggles. Inuyasha fumed.

"C'mere and say that, runt!" As per his natural defense mechanism, the hanyou took to chasing Shippou deep into the woods.

With her privacy restored, Kagome resumed changing. 'At least _that's_ back to normal...'

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Miroku gazed thoughtfully across the open area that he had just entered. He stood at the line where the trees halted and a rolling, hilly landscape took their place. With no clear idea of where he was going, he resumed walking, his footfalls and the clinking of the rings on his shakujou breaking the serenity of the clearing.

He found himself thinking that Sango would be sure to follow. He had spent enough times watching her sleep that he could detect the difference between true and feigned slumber.

'Why do I want her to follow? If she does, I'll just-' He paused, having made it to the crest of a hill. 'I'll just what? I'll...' He sighed, then sat down on the hilltop, letting the fresh morning wind caress his face.

He hadn't been sitting there for long when he heard the crunch of the crisp grass behind him.

"Houshi-sama?"

Miroku turned and looked down at the taijiya who was ascending the hill. When she neared his perch, she knelt beside him, her eyes searching.

"Ah... Yes, Lady Sango?"

Sango leaned forward, resting a hand on his shoulder. "Why won't you talk to me?"

Miroku froze. Just having her in such close proximity made him want to tell her everything... but how would she react? Would she push him away? Would she deny her words?

"Houshi-sama?"

"Sango-san... do you know what frightens me the most about my... experience?" He inwardly winced. 'Why am I going to tell her this?'

Sango lifted her head and peered into his face. His eyes were fixed on some point in the distance, almost as if he was trying to imagine himself somewhere else. "No."

"I... I felt his enjoyment in what he did. With every drop of blood spilled, I felt his excitement as if it was _mine_, his satiation was my own. It disgusts me to think of it now, but then..." He lifted his hands and stared at them, an emotionless half-smile on his lips. "It makes me wonder if I would get the same results if I were to kill now."

Sango reached forward and put her hand over his. "Of course not. You are not the Phoenix; you are just a monk. I know that you find no pleasure in killing, because I know _you_."

Miroku let out a short laugh and dropped his hands, causing Sango to withdraw her own. "You don't understand. You couldn't." 

"Damn you, listen to me!" Sango burst out. She couldn't stand to see him like that; she could tell that underneath his words, he was numb with shock and drowning in self-pity. "I can't say that this has ever happened to me, but I've seen this before! Every time I see Kohaku, every time I look into the dead eyes that are a product of Naraku's manipulation, I see the boy who was clutching his head, wailing about what he'd done! I see his anguish... I see the same look that's on your face now!" 

Miroku watched her quietly during this outburst, but her words were finally reaching him. 'She'd understand... Even though Kohaku slew her fellow hunters... her father... she still loves him. She offers me the same forgiveness...' He blinked suddenly, and his eyes softened, their normal purple returning.

He lifted his hands and covered his face, drawing in a deep breath. "My very soul is tainted, Sango. My hands... they've shed innocent blood! I can't go on living this way!"

Sango pulled his hands down, revealing a tear-stained face. "You're wrong. All you can do is live. None of their deaths were your fault, and I'll never hold you responsible."

When his disbelieving look didn't vanish, she moved so that she was in front of him and leaned forward, wrapping her arms around him and resting her head on his chest. "As far as I'm concerned, nothing has changed," she whispered.

Miroku tensed, then relaxed in degrees, irritably wiping tears from his cheeks. When he had outwardly composed himself, he rested one hand on her back, pulling her closer. 

The two sat like that for a while, until Miroku murmured one phrase. "Thank you."

"For what?" came the soft reply.

"If you hadn't come to me, I would have done something foolish. As you followed me, I had steeled myself to leave. I wasn't planning on returning. I don't think I would have lasted five minutes in my state..." He fell silent again. Sango was on the verge of suggesting that they return to camp when he continued. "Did you mean what you said?"

Sango pulled away slowly so that she could look into his face. "What are you talking about?"

"If my memory serves, to free me, you told me that..." he let the sentence hang, but Sango knew what he was referring to. 

"Ano..." A light pink flush decorated her face. Her lap suddenly became very interesting. "I- I did," she admitted haltingly, fully preparing to hear him scoff or something of that nature... but at the same time, she knew that he would do no such thing.

What she wasn't expecting was for him to lift her chin and press his lips to hers in a tender kiss.

Her eyes widened, then fluttered closed as she relaxed into the kiss. All too soon, it seemed, he was pulling back. "Sango?"

She pressed her fingertips to her lips as she looked up at him, still in a state of mild shock.

"Could you tell me again? This time, to me? Just... me?" Miroku's eyes seemed to plead with her, and she knew that he needed to hear those words from her mouth once more.

"I... I love you, Hou-" Sango paused, seeing the involuntary flinch of his eyes. She began again, her voice gaining strength and assurance. "I love you, Miroku." She leaned forward and kissed him, just a light peck.

The monk's eyes glazed slightly, then he smiled. "And I you, my lovely Sango."

As he drew her back into his arms, he let out a small sigh. He had done deplorable things... but she loved him anyway. She had loved him even when he was housing the killer's spirit.

There had been a time where he had wondered how he would go on, what he could possibly do next.

As he looked down at the dark-haired beauty in his arms, he realized that he had a pretty good idea.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Corisu: DONE! FINITO! THE END! *bursts into tears*

Kunoichi and Aamalie: O_O;;;

Corisu: My bebe is finished! x.x

Ketsu: *laughs maniacally*

Corisu: *pauses in her wailing and wiggles nose*

Ketsu: *vanishes*

Aamalie: Dare I ask where you sent her?

Corisu: ;___________;

Aamalie: -.-;; Well, I guess that's a wrap! Miroku and Sango have each other - ^_____^ - and Inu has his ears back! 

Kuno: Yup! That solves everything! Ja! Until our next fic!

Ketsu: *falls from the sky and lands on Inu* @.@;;;

Inu: @.@;;;

Everyone else: .;;;

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Review Responses:

Tetsusaiga Wielder: Eheh. Many reviews! ^____^ Cool! I forgot the other name, though... I know it started with a M... *shifty eyes* Still, I'm glad you like this fic as well as you liked the others! ^^

Xenia: *cha-chas* I found the analogy! Whoohoo! Yah. Thanks for the accolades about the quote. That was rather hard. I think she did that on purpose because if I CAN'T fit it in, I have to write the next chapter in 2 days... @.@; I'm sad to see it end tooooo!! *bawls*

The-Great-Monk-Grl: Interesting name... XD I'm glad you like my fic!

Queenizzay: XD Yeeeah... I don't even know where that line came from. *tomato time* XD And for 'hydrophobic', you can thank the beta... v.v; You don't know how hard it was to meet that challenge...

Lyra Pelgina: O_O; That was short? Oh, wait. For your tastes... that means that it could be 10 pages and you still wouldn't be satisfied... XD *returns Soujiro smile* I do hope you'll review again...

Kin103: I know it was weird. Don't blame me! Blame the Beta! It's HER fault! Eheh. ^^ Glad you liked!

Aprill May: O___O;;; Riiiiiight. *laughs at stupidity* Well, you asked for it. A good tip for fiction addicts: When a chapter won't show up, just type something random after the chapter's web address. I typed "flyingpurpleplotbunniesareeatingmybrain!!!!" once and it worked. O.o;

Kyoko: o.O;;; I get a feeling that I should know what's goin' on... *backs away slowly* Do I even WANNA know... *especially vicious poke* GN 3! Forget and DIE! *evil leer* 

fireandflames: ^_^ Yup. Earless Inu-chan! I'm glad you like One Month... It was my bebe at one time, but now I'm starting to kinda hate it... Dunno why. I'm glad you like my disclaimers! I remember that one... *laughs* Oh, bishies is a shortened form of 'bishounen', which pretty much means 'CUUUUTE (or sexah *snickers*) boy'.

WindMistress: ^^;;; Eh, s'okay. I would never kill my houshi unless I had a VERY good reason... *shifty eyes* Heh. You like the number 13! Yay! *parties* There are so many triskadekaphobes out there that always yell "Arg! Friday the 13th!" and such. I'm glad I'm on your faves! *radiates flattered-ness*

Stripe: XD I know. That was a really random line... that was right up there with the hydrophobic one... --;

Lily Thorne: ^^;;; "Kill him off"? *suspicious look* Ahem... *pokes* Eheh. Anyway, I'm very glad you liked the last chapter! Hope this one lived up to expectations.  
  
Aamalie: ^_^;;; Oh, yeah... ;_; Yeessss.... you see how long it took me to finally post it. I kept staring at it on my computer and going "*sigh* Not yeeet..." WAFF ish cool! *dances* But it's over! *bursts into tears* WHAAA!

GinHasa: ^___^ Glad I got it right, then! And yes, yes, I know I rock. *bows (im)modestly* ^_^ I hope this chapter was to your liking!

Wakadori Ramen: XD Don't like Reika either huh? Meh, nor do I... *rolls eyes just to follow suit* Yes, angst is yummy. ^___^ Like Miroku... Mmm... *obsession myumyu* XD That was the only time I'll steal that (odd) phrase... ^^

LiL psYch0: I know... Reika turned out to be a real awful character... and I didn't even mean for her to be! -.-; I'm glad you liked that scene though!

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Thank you so much for your kind reviews, everyone! Once more for old times' sake?


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